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This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.
Community Corner
Learn the basics to making muffins and quick breads. Buy your favorite ingredients at your local grocer.
Natalia Motola, Neighbor
Natalia Motola, Neighbor
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Baking can be a therapeutic and relaxing endeavor, especially when it comes to muffins and quick breads. One school of thought I would like to share with budding culinarians is: It is not the individual recipes, but the technique that makes the difference. Using one technique, or master recipe, and then interchanging ingredients creates a large repertoire of recipes. It allows cooks to use their imaginations and simplifies recipes that initially seem complicated. Once the pressure is off to create a specific recipe, the therapy can begin.
The scent of sweets baking in the oven brings on a comforting sensation. The act of measuring, mixing, creating and baking is reminiscent of playing with Play Doh, an Easy-Bake Oven or even mud pies. It's even something the kids can help with as they're out of school this summer. Baking creates a sense of accomplishment, especially when you can present your creations to a loved one or enjoy it yourself. As a chef, I have an innate yearning to cook for people I love.
"The worst thing to happen to cooking was the rise of Simon Cowell and his ruthless judging style. Something which so undermines a lot of people when they cook for friends is this terrible feeling that you’re going to be judged. Reality programs create this environment in which you feel everybody is there to criticize you and send you away. You feel that when you cook it’s going to be given the Simon Cowell treatment," Nigela Lawson, writer of How to be a Domestic Goddess, said at a public appearance.
The reality is that we are our own worst critics. Sitting around the kitchen table with friends, enjoying a fragrant, just baked muffin or quick bread and freshly brewed coffee can be as rejuvenating as a one-hour massage. A great pairing to any muffin is the French Roast or Café Verona sold at in Manchester and Town and Country. Both are rich enough to stand up to a rich, delicious muffin.
Baking muffins and quick breads is easy. There are only a few tips to make supple and moist muffins or quick breads.
- The only difference between a quick bread and a muffin is the type of pan used to bake it.
- Make sure fruits, vegetable, or nuts are grated or chopped as needed before you begin mixing, so the batter doesn't sit.
- Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing activates the gluten in the flour and creates a chewy quick bread or muffin.
Master Muffin Recipe, one dozen small muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 cup milk
Method:
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Beat egg, milk, and melted butter in separate bowl.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and combine until the dry ingredients are just moistened, being careful not to overmix. The batter may be slightly lumpy, but moist.
- Spoon the batter into muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes before taking them out of the tin.
Working as a production baker for Salamander Restaurant and its sister bakery in Cambridge, MA, I had to come up with different flavor combinations for muffins, scones, quick breads and more to keep flavors new and exciting. Some combinations or flavorings include cranberries and pistachios, chocolate and hazelnuts, dried cherry and almonds, carrot and raisin (or dates), apple and walnuts, citrus and poppyseed, ginger and honey and streusel muffins.
For the variations, a good rule of thumb is tohave them add up to one additional cup. Think in terms of complementary combinations like blueberry and lemon zest. Cranberry and pistachios are also a good combination, but you may want to increase the sugar slightly (1/3 cup), since cranberries are tart. For the chocolate and hazelnut, apple and walnut, cherry and almond--simply add the variations to the dry ingredients in the master recipe. For flavorings like citrus, poppyseed, ginger or spices, a tablespoon or two will suffice, added to the dry ingredients as well. Raisins, dates, prunes and such do better when added to wet ingredients, so they soften and become more moist. The ginger and honey muffins have a great kick, simply add a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger and replace the sugar with honey.
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, and in Manchester and , , and in Town and Country all have the basic ingredients as well as a variety of fresh fruits for the master recipe. Whole Foods has bulk dried fruits such as cherries, raisins and cranberries, as well as a variety of nuts. The remaining stores carry nuts and dried fruits in small packages.
One of my favorite variations is:
Apple Muffins with Cinnamon-Oatmeal Streusel
Ingredients:
1 master muffin recipe batter
1 cup apple, peeled, cored and diced into 1/4 inch pieces
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1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Method Streusel:
- Mix together brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon and salt.
- With a pastry blender or your hands, cut butter until mixture resembles large coarse crumbs.
Muffin Method:
- Follow the recipe above for the batter, adding apple with dry ingredients.
- After spooning the batter into the muffin tins, sprinkle with streusel.
- Bake, continuing to follow master muffin recipe.
Enjoy the scents and flavors your create!
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