Great basic muffin recipe

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Cooking & Crafts : One Thread

I have been using this basic muffin recipe for years and just love it. There is just no end to the different types or muffins you can make. Thought I'd share it with all of you.

Basic muffins

To make muffins, combine dry igredients, and then mix in wet ingredients until just combined; the batter should be lumpy. Grease muffin tins and fill cups two thirds ful. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes (give or take 5 minutes).

The following inredients are required:

Grain: Use 2 to 2 2 1/2 cups of white flour. Or substitute oatmeal, cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, rye flour or flake cereal for 1 cup for the white flour. Or substitute 1 cup leftover cooked oatmeal, rice or cormeal for 1/2 cup of the white flour and decrease liquid to 1/2 cup.

Milk: Use 1 cup. Buttermilk or sour milk can be substituted.

Fat: Use 1/4 cup veg. oil or 4 tablespoons melted margarine. Or substitute crunchy peanut butter or regular peanut butter for part or all of the fat.

Egg: Use 1 egg. Or subsitute 1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour and 1 tablespoon water. If using a cooked grain, seperate the egg, add the yolk to the batter; beat the white until stiff, and fold into the batter.

Sweetener: Use between 2 tablespoons and 1/2 cup sugar. Or substitute up to 3/4 cup brown sugar. Or substitute up to 1/2 cup honey or molasses and decrease milk to 3/4 cup.

Baking powder: Use two teaspoons. If using whole or cooked grains or more than 1 cup of additions, increase to 3 teaspoons. If using buttermilk or sourmilk, decrease to 1 teaspoon and add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

Salt: Use 1/2 teaspoon.

The following ingredients are optional. Additions can be used in any combitions, up to 1 1/2 cups total. If using more than 1 cup of wet additions, decrease the milk to 1/2 cup.

Dry additions: Nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut, and so on.

Moist Additions: Blueberries, chopped apples, freshly shredded zucchini, shredded carrot and so on.

Wet Additions: Pumpkin puree', applesauce, mashed sweet potatoe, mashed banana, mashed carrot and so on. If using 1/2 cup drained, canned fruit or thawed shredded zuchini, substitute the syrup or zuchini liquid for all or part of the milk.

Spices: Use spices that complement the additions, such as 1 teaspoon cinnamon with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or cloves. Try 2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon peel.

Jellies and Jam: Fill cups half full with plain batter. Add 1 teaspoon Jam or jelly and top with 2 or more tablespoons batter.

Topping: Sprinkle cinnamon on the batter in the tins.

Nonsweet combinations: Use only 2 tablespoons sugar and no fruit. Add combinations of the following: 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 3 strips fried and crumbled bacon, 2 tablespoons grated onion, 1/2 cup shredded zuchini, 2 tablespoons parmeson cheese. Spices could included a teaspoon of parsley and a pinch of majoram.



-- Jo in PA (farmertim05@yahoo.com), February 18, 2002

Answers

Wow what a great recipe! Thanks, Jo!

-- Karen (mountains_mama@hotmail.com), February 18, 2002.

You must be my Fairy Godmother, I've been wishing for a recipe like this for a long time, but haven't been able to find one so versatile! Thank you!!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), February 18, 2002.

Jo do you freeze some of the left over batter? If so, how do you prepare it?? ie. pour into cupcake liners and freeze them or do you pour batter into a freezer bag and then defrost?

-- claudia in NY (cooleyville@aol.com), February 18, 2002.

No, I have never froze the extra batter. Why not just bake whole batch and freeze the muffins!

-- Jo in PA (farmerjo02@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

How many muffins will this recipe approximately make?

-- Malou (malou101075@hotmail.com), February 04, 2003.


It makes apx. 1 1/2 dozens.

-- Jo in PA (farmerjo02@yahoo.com), May 27, 2003.

Thanks a lot for this recipe, I've been searching for something easy to make muffins for my son's school fair.

Liam.

-- Liam Peverley (liampev33@hotmail.com), June 06, 2003.


have you ever used dried fruit? if so, does any extra liquid need to be added?

-- betsy (wilkeb1@aol.com), July 31, 2003.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ