12.2 Muffin Method Recipe
Objectives
- Apply standard techniques for gluten formation by preparing a product in which gluten forms very readily.
Recipe
Muffins
Yield: 6 medium muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ egg (2 Tablespoons)
- ½ cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons + 1½ teaspoons oil
Instructions
Heat oven to 425°F; grease the bottoms of muffins cups in the tin.
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together 3 times to mix thoroughly.*
Add half an egg to the milk and blend thoroughly with a whisk. Add oil and mix.*
Make a well in the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl; add the liquid ingredients all at once to the dry. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, immediately start to stir as quickly as possible without splashing the mixture out of the bowl. Try to mix in 10 seconds; do not mix longer than 20 seconds. Stop stirring the instant the dry ingredients are just dampened. The batter should be lumpy but should not show particles of dry flour.
To place the muffin batter in the muffin tin, use a spoon and cut against the side of the bowl with one clean stroke. Fill each greased muffin cup 2/3 full. Place the spoon directly in the muffin tin and push the batter from it with another spoon or rubber spatula.
Bake at 425oF until golden brown, approximately 12–15 minutes. Let stand for 1–2 minutes before removing from pan.
To compare gluten development amount, attempt to make two under-stirred, two perfectly stirred, and two over-stirred muffins.
*If you want to add mix-ins to your muffins, reference the amounts below. Add-ins will be based on lab availability. Make sure to decide on add-ins before you make the muffins. Dry add-ins need to be added to the dry ingredients, and wet add-ins need to be added to the wet ingredients. (Adding a streusel or cinnamon and sugar on top of the muffin would be the exception.)
Add-Ins for Muffins and Amounts to Use
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Chocolate or other flavor chips | ¼ cup |
| Nuts, chopped | ¼ cup |
| Raisin or other dried fruit | ¼ cup |
| Blueberries | ½ cup |
| Coconut, shredded | ¼ cup |
| Apple, chopped with spices |
¼ cup apple ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp nutmeg |
| Lemon Poppy Seed | 1 Tbsp Poppy Seeds + 1 tsp lemon extract |
| Jam/Jelly Muffins | Fill muffin cups a third full, add a tsp of jelly or jam, cover with muffin batter |
| Cinnamon Sugar to sprinkle on top of the muffin batter | 2 Tbsp sugar + ½ tsp cinnamon |
| Streusel | 2 Tbsp flour + 2 Tbsp brown sugar + ¼ tsp cinnamon, cut in 1 Tbsp cold butter |
Characteristics of a Standard Product for Muffins
| Appearance | Texture | Flavor |
|---|---|---|
| Symmetrical shape.
Golden brown top with a pebbled surface resembling cauliflower. Creamy white interior. No tunnels. |
Moderate grain as evidenced by even, medium-sized holes and fairly thin cell walls.
Moist and tender |
Mild, pleasing flavor. |
Sensory Evaluation
| Muffin | Appearance | Texture | Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under-stirred | |||
| Optimally stirred | |||
| Over-stirred |
