Baking Basics, Part 2

How many times did you hear this phrase when you were a kid?
"You can't get up from that table until you finish your muffins!"
Never? Me neither.  Muffins generally aren't a hard thing to throw down the hatch.  They're packed full of butter, sugar and any fruit or chocolate you could possibly dream up.  They're breakfast goodness, that's a fact.  

In Part 1 of Baking Basics we talked about scones.  Now you know that the key to killer scones is cold butter chunks in the scone dough, a screamin' hot oven and the creation of buttery air pockets that lends a flavorful lightness to the scones.  
All that work we did to keep the butter cold in the scones we're going to throw out the window for the muffin technique.  For muffins we're talking melted butter.  *Gasp*  Don't worry, it'll all work out!


The Muffin Technique
Muffins (and scones too) fall under the category of quick breads.  Whereas traditional breads require yeast and time to rise and develop, quick breads get a quick lift from baking powder and baking soda which only require a bit of liquid and heat for activation.  
There are two types of muffins:  bread-like muffins and cake-like muffins.  Cake-like muffins are a bit lighter than their bread-like counterparts.  This comes from the mixing method.  Cake like muffins are made by creaming the butter and sugar together, incorporating air into the batter.  Cake-like muffins, let's face it, are cupcakes.  We'll talk about cake later.... Now, we have a mission.  Not cake, but muffins.
Bread-like muffins are a slightly denser breakfast treat.  They typically have less sugar and less butter than their cupcake/cake-muffin rivals.  They're made by combining dry the ingredient basics of flour, salt, sugar, and levening with a fat (melted butter and/or oil), eggs, and a dairy product (milk, yogurt or sour cream).  Technique, as always, is important.  Quick breads, like muffins, need minimal mixing.  They just take a few simple steps.  
Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder or soda and spices).  Give the mixture a few turn of a whisk to incorporate.  
In a separate bowl combine the liquid ingredients (eggs, butter or oil and milk, sour cream or yogurt).  Whisk until well blended.  
Pour the  liquids over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly mix the ingredients together.  
Add in any fruit, nuts or chocolate during the last few strokes of mixing.  
Don't worry about lumps or bumps.  Those things will magically disappear in the oven.  
Muffins are baked in a moderately hot oven, usually between 375 degrees F and 400 degrees F.  Through the magic of baking, 20 minutes later you've got some mighty fine, piping hot muffins.  Yum, and Yum.

 
I made two types of muffins:
Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins and
Browned Butter Cornbread Muffins with Fresh Blueberries and Apricots


 

Continue to Baking Basics - Part 3? Or, jump back to Baking Basics - Part 1?