Muffins Making Procedure

Muffin Making Tips:


Simple mistakes are commonly made when you are first learning how to make muffins. Following these tips will help you avoid these common errors:

• The most important thing to remember is do not over mix your batter. Mixing too much will cause glutens to develop, causing the muffins to be dense, instead of light and airy.
• All ingredients should be allowed to reach room temperature.
• Mix dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients. Gradually combine the two until everything is slightly moistened.
• If spices are required, use the freshest available.
• The batter should be thick and lumpy. If it seems runny, you can fold in a tablespoon of flour at a time until correct consistency is reached.
• Use a ladle or a small ice cream cone to scoop up batter to ensure each muffin is proportionate to the others. Tins should be three-quarters full.
• Save add-ins such as fruit and nuts for last using one quick stir to incorporate them into the batter.
• Make sure the muffin pan is properly greased with butter or cooking spray. This includes the entire muffin tin, not just the holes.
• To ensure even cooking, place the rack in the middle of the oven.
• Allow muffins time to cool before removing them from pan. Hot muffins often fall apart when removed.
• Place the muffin tin on top of a baking sheet to help keep the bottoms of the muffins from getting too dark and to catch any overflow.

Basic Muffin Recipe:


Although there are countless methods of how to make muffins, a basic recipe is the base for the majority of them. To make this batter, gather:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Before mixing, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease the muffin pans. Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl until thoroughly combined, making a small well in the middle when finished. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the well and gradually fold all ingredients together, careful not to over mix. Fill the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Variations:


After you learn how to make muffins, you can make a number of different flavor variations simply by adding a few extra ingredients to the recipe above. Among the most popular are banana nut and blueberry.
To make a blueberry flavored muffin, increase sugar to ½ cup, and add 1 cup of blueberries that have been coated in ¼ cup of flour.

For a banana-nut flavored muffin, increase sugar to ¼ cup, add ½ cup each of mashed banana and crushed pecans. Before baking sprinkle muffin tops with a mix of chopped nuts and cinnamon sugar.