Want the best muffins? Follow these tips to make the tallest, most delicious, bakery style muffins.
Elevate your muffin method
1, Use room temperature ingredients. Most people already know that butter creams easier when it is at room temperature. But did you know that eggs at room temperature are thinner and mix more seamlessly and help result in a better rise than cold ones? Simply put your eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes while preparing your ingredients.
2. Be sure to check your leavening agent before using. It is always best to use fresh leavening agents. Baking powder and baking soda become less potent about six months after opening. Mark your container with the date you open them and throw them out once they reach the 6-month stage. You can test baking powder by combining a teaspoon with ½ cup of warm water. If it bubbles, it is good to use. You can also test baking soda with a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice.
3. We have said it before and will say it again, use a scale and weigh your ingredients. When you use measuring cups and spoons, you can tend to overpack the ingredients, thus adding too much of some ingredients. By using a scale, you ensure a consistent amount of ingredients, which keeps the balance for the recipe.
4. Avoid over mixing. Over mixing can cause your muffins to be tough and have what is known as tunneling. This is where pockets of air are created from over mixing. A pro tip for mixing is to keep your wet and dry ingredients separate until the end of the preparation process. This will ensure that your leavening agents do not activate prematurely and fizzle out before going in the oven.
5. Let your batter rest. Most people rush to get that muffin pan in the oven. However, letting the batter rest, even overnight in the fridge can help you achieve the best rise and texture. The resting allows the batter to hydrate better, which in turn thickens it.
6. Flour fruit. It is best to toss your fruit and berries in flour prior to adding to your batter. This helps to stop the fruit from sinking to the bottom when baking. A second way to avoid sinking is to use a layering method. Place some batter in the cup, add fruit, more batter and then more fruit. A tip for frozen fruit is to rinse them until you have clear water. This helps from adding streaks or changing the color of the batter.
Let us know how your next batch of muffins or sweet bread bake!
Related: What Is The Muffin Method?
