muffin

Muffins are essentially flavored pancake batter; they can be sweet or savory, and garnishes with berries, diced fruit or vegetables, nuts, spices—are limited only by your imagination. They’re so easy to make i wonder why should one ever need to buy them in bakery shops whenever we crave for them. You could basically think of a muffin you desires and by an hour you would already be munching them.

The golden rule to making muffin is understanding the ration of flour-liquid-egg. The rest is garnishing variations and sweet factor. The most basic and solid ratio for muffin is 2-2-1-1, that is 2 parts flour, 2 parts liquid (milk), and one part egg and butter each, while leavening is achieved by baking powder. As a rule of thumb, a teaspoon of 4 ounces flour. Increase the amount when you increase the volume of the flour when you’re making larger batch.

Another variable is sweetness. Most muffins preparations are sweet. But the type of muffin you’re making should determine the level of sweetness. If you have a lot of sweet garnish, banana for instance, or if your muffin is to be served with a very sweet accompaniment, you might want your batter somewhat less sweet. But another good rule of thumb for muffins is to add as much sugar as butter.

Makes 10 muffins

8 ounces flour

4 ounces sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

8 ounces milk

4 ounces eggs (2 large eggs)

4 ounces butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a whisk or a hand blender, whisk or blend the mixture until the eggs are uniformly distributed. Add the dry ingredients. Whisk just to combine. If you’re adding additional garnish, such as citrus zest or fruit, do so now.

Pour the batter into muffin tins or a loaf pan (butter the pan first). Bake for about 30 minutes, or as much as 50 minutes for a loaf, until the blade of a paring knife inserted in the center comes out clean.