Standard Muffin Recipe - The Wholesome Dish (2024)

FAQs

What is the best kind of flour to use for muffins? ›

You can use either all-purpose flour or pastry flour; all-purpose flour gives you a sturdier muffin while a pastry flour muffin will be lighter and more delicate.

The most important rule of muffin making is to not over stir the mix. Instead, what you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Resist the temptation to stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free.

What causes the muffins to be tough, heavy or rubbery? A. Two things: too much egg and using a dark, nonstick pan. A large-size egg, about 1/4 cup, will give you the best results.

Start the oven on high

Bake your muffins at 400°F for the first 5 minutes, then drop the temperature to the more standard 350°F for the remainder of the bake time. This method sparks the leavening agents (especially baking powder) in the batter to react quicker, creating that gorgeously risen top.

Ideal Muffin Cooking Temperature

As stated above, different flours, swaps and add-ins can impact muffin cooking time and should be taken into account when making your baked treat. That being said, the standard oven temperature for baking desserts like quick breads and muffins is commonly set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Overmixing is a common problem with muffins. First combine dry ingredients, mixing well. Then combine liquid ingredients, mixing well. Finally combine dry and wet ingredients, by hand, using only 15 to 20 light strokes.

Rest the Muffin Batter

The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.

Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery.

What is the formula for muffins? ›

Muffins fall into the “quick bread” category and are essentially flavored pancake batter that's baked in muffin tins. The traditional ratio for muffins and quick bread is 2 parts flour, 2 parts liquid, 1 part egg, and 1 part butter. I'm not a fan of muffins baked this way because they are too soft and spongy.

Can I use milk instead of water to make muffins? We recommend using water; however we know that some Makers prefer to use milk to make muffins. Using milk can change the texture of the muffin to be more like a cupcake.

According to O. Corriher, the way to get a perfectly puffed up dome on your muffins is to increase your oven heat. She says that 400° should do it, no matter what the recipe says. The higher baking temperature means that the the outside edges of the muffin will set while the middle is still liquidy.

Foods made with bleached flour tend to have a softer texture, more volume, and a brighter color than those made with unbleached flour. Bleached flour is best for making cookies, pie crusts, quick breads, muffins, and pancakes.

Cake flour in my muffins too? The reason I use cake flour is that they make the muffins extra tender and moist. In this particular case, you can substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour (plain flour) if that is all you have but the muffins will be a bit firmer.

Cake flour is more finely ground and has less protein, which leaves the muffins with a fine, light crumb and soft texture. Using cake flour is an easy way to avoid heavy, dense muffins even if you end up stirring just a bit too much.

Pastry flour falls somewhere in between all-purpose flour and cake flour in terms of protein content and baking properties. It comes in both white and regular varieties. Pastry flour makes a tender but crumbly pastry. Use it for biscuits, pie crusts, brownies, cookies and quick breads.