Let’s Talk About Muffins

That’s right, muffins. Not just any muffins, but the absolute best muffins I have ever had. I prefer a muffin that is moist, slightly spongy with just enough spring upon taking a bite, more dense than a cake but not like bread and of course it has to look appetizing. For those who say that a muffin is just a cupcake sans the frosting should give one of these muffins and asked if they still hold that opinion after trying it. If your muffins are like a cupcake then there is something seriously wrong.

 

Muffins tend to get a bad name of being too dry, crumbly, lacking in flavor, and overall unappealing. I tend to think that they are for the indecisive. For the person who wants the density of a light bread and the flavor of a cake without the sweetness of the cap of overly-sweet, coma inducing frosting. It’s hard to find cupcakes with the right ratio of frosting to cake, and one that has a light frosting with a moist, flavorful cake is a rarity at least in these parts of town. If you think the cake is not as important as the frosting, think again. The cake is everything. It’s the vehicle on which that mound of fluffy sweetness is delivered. Because the cakes are often disappointingly dry I end up scraping off the frosting and eating it by itself. I realize this is similar to the eating habits of a 12 year-old, but I just cannot get past the dry cake and I cannot bear the thought of wasting a perfectly good serving of frosting.   

Obviously cupcakes are a whole different post in themselves. I will be making some in the near future and will share my experience with the pursuit for the perfect cupcake.  

Getting back to the muffins, I’d like to point out that the original recipe for this muffin was found on Pinterest which then linked me to the BAKER upstairs’ blog. Is it sad when you start turning to Pinterest for recipes instead of the 50+ cookbooks that you have sitting on the shelf in the other room collecting dust? I thought so. Still, I shamelessly go to Google or Pinterest to find inspiration for a recipe and more often than not I will judge a recipe based on the picture attached to it. A little tidbit of advice, do not do this, especially when searching user based recipe databases because more often than not the picture you see is not a professional picture or of professional quality. It is a home cook with a camera who is under no obligation to make the picture look “pretty”. It is a photo of real food and real results. This is why sometimes I like to look at recipes that do not have pictures that way I am forced to read through the ingredients. It makes me visualize what it will look like and how it will taste. Muffins are humble in their own way and perhaps this is why they are hard to photograph. They just do not grab your attention. Really, do not judge a book (or muffin) by its cover (or picture). 

When I saw this recipe I noted two things: the title of the recipe and the pictures. I scanned the ingredient list to make sure we had everything and I proceeded to make them without even thinking about the ratios of berries/dry ingredients/butter. Fortunately, these muffins turned out to be perfect in every way. I used frozen berries because it was late at night and we did not have any fresh. I also had to use almond milk because we were out of cow’s milk. I probably should have drained the berries after they thawed because there was a lot of liquid that poured off when I added them to the batter. With that said, I think that extra liquid helped the muffins to remain moist. If I make them again I will drain off any excess liquid and give it a go. I will say that because of the liquid the muffins had a greyish/blue hue to the batter which came out looking like mold in some parts. Mmmm. Penicillin anyone? That did not bother me though. If you want to be picky about the presentation and decide to use frozen berries and the drained liquid, might I suggest that you do not use blue cupcake liners as these will make the muffins look even more molded than if you used white liners.

 

Happy Baking!

Bakery-Style Triple Berry Muffins

Adapted from the BAKER upstairs

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 15-20 minutes

For the Muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup melted butter

1 egg

1/3 cup almond milk (regular milk is fine)

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries (see note earlier about using frozen berries)

For the streusel:

1/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. You can also spray with cooking spray, but the liners are a guaranteed way to ensure that the muffins will release from the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, egg, and milk. Make sure that you let the butter cool a little before you add the egg and milk as they will curdle if added to hot butter. After combined, add to the dry ingredients.

Fold in the berries (and liquid if using).

I filled the liners about 3/4 the way full and the muffin tops did not expand too much. You can fill them less if you want smaller muffins.

Make the streusel by whisking together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly mixture that resembles wet sand forms (you can also use a food processor for this step just be careful not to cut the butter too small).

Sprinkle the topping over the muffins and bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned on top. I ended up cooking mine for 25 minutes before the tester came out clean.

Silent Sunday

Steel Cut Oats with Almond butter and Quince preserves.

No breakfast is complete without coffee. 

So, I would be lying if I said I didn't love pastries. I am by no means a baker, but that doesn't stop me from hopelessly attempting to create a perfect pastry. One of my proudest successes was these Glazed Cinnamon Rolls from the American Classics Cookbook.

I love the weekends for 2 reasons. 1) It's the weekend, meaning I have all day to spend in the kitchen, and 2) It's the only time out of the week when I can take the time to experiment and prepare a special pastry.

There is something about the smell of cinnamon and cloves that warms your soul. It's like a warm blanket, embracing and wrapping around you; giving you a sense of security. For me, it brings back memories of the holiday season, where our house was always filled with fudge, cookies, cakes, and anything else that could be made from a little flour, butter, and spices. Even today, Christmas cookies are a must. For me, baking is the epitome of comfort and hominess. It has the ability to evoke such precious memories of home, times of celebration, and family.

During the week I spend my down time thumbing through cookbooks, in search for something to bake during the weekend. I always seem drawn to my American Classics cookbook. There is something about the simplicity and versatility of the recipes that I find appealing. They are solid, classic recipes which act as the perfect canvas for personal adjustment. I was wanting something hearty, and that spoke of home. What better to reflect these things than cinnamon rolls and coffee? The perfect combination! I had never made them before and was a little intimidated, but I was feeling overly ambitious and thought I'd give it a shot.

I started out with making the dough, which I found out that you can easily over-kneed it. Be stingy with the flour, only using enough to form a soft dough. Anymore and the dough will become too heavy and dense. I have a tendency to be very impatient when making any kind of bread, so this step was a test of patience for me. The dough didn't rise like it was supposed to, and by the end of two hours, it was only about a third of the size it should have been. I have to say, I started to get slightly worried at this point, but was determined to finish them. All I could do was hope for the best.

Rolling out the dough was about the easiest part of the whole process. I found that there is a trick to rolling the perfect cinnamon rolls. Quickly, I discovered that if you don't pinch the ends as you roll like it says to, you will end up scooping up half of your filling off of the counter. I found that the best method for cutting uniform rolls was using the dental floss as recommended in the recipe. Another key tip, make sure your baking dish is well buttered!! This is one of the most basic baking fundamentals, but definitely one that should not be ignored. I have learned this lesson the hard way. There was nothing left but to bake the delectable, doughy rolls. I crossed my finger, set the timer, and waited patiently. My batch took approximately 40 minutes to bake. They smelled and looked even better than I envisioned they would. After cooling slightly, the cream cheese glaze was applied. The real test however, would come when I cut into them.

The final step of the baking process, which just happens to be my favorite, is sitting down for the taste test. The dough was just the right density, slightly airy, while the filling left just a hint of spices to mingle on the palette. The glaze on top was not your typical thick, creamy glaze. It was thinner, with a mild level of sweetness. Just enough to counter balance the savory spice filling. I would suggest that if you prefer your glaze to be less sweet, decrease the powdered sugar from 1c to 3/4 cup, and also decrease the heavy cream to 1 tablespoon.

Recipe for Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

From American Classics

For the dough:

1/2 cup milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing baking dish

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)

1 package (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) rapid-rise or instant yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg plus 2 large yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4-4 1/4 cups (20 to 21 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

Icing:

8 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons corn syrup

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Filling:

1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. FOR THE DOUGH: Heat the milk and 8 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside until the mixture is warm (about 100 degrees)

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the water, yeast, sugar, egg, and yolks on slow speed until well mixed. Add the salt, warm milk mixture, and 2 cups flour and mix on medium speed until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Switch to the hook attachment, add 2 cups flour, and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and freely clears the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a round, place it in a lightly greased large mixing bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave in a draft-free, warm spot until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

3. FOR THE ICING: While the dough rises, combine all of the icing ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and blend together on low speed until roughly combined, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to high and mix until the icing is uniformly smooth and free of cream cheese lumps, about 2 minutes. Transfer the icing to a small bowl and refrigerate.

4. TO ROLL AND FILL THE DOUGH: After the dough has doubled, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a 16 by 12-inch rectangle, with a long side facing you. Mix together the filling ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, except for the top 1/2 inch of the dough. Roll the dough, beginning with the long edge closest to you and using both hands to pinch the dough with your fingertips as you roll. Moisten the top border with water and seal the roll. Lightly dust the roll with flour and press on the ends if necessary to make a uniform 16-inch tube. Use the softened butter to grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Cut the roll into 12 pieces using dental floss and evenly distribute the rolls, cut-side up, in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a draft-free warm spot until doubled in bulk. 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

5. TO BAKE THE ROLLS: When the rolls are almost fully risen, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the center of the rolls registers 185 to 188 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Invert the rolls onto a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Turn the rolls upright on a large servig plate, and use a rubber spatula to spread with icing. Serve immediately.