The secret to lighter muffins + a blueberry buckle and: is it a blueberry muffin or my dog Harriet?
Blueberry-Cornmeal Muffins with a bonus blueberry-packed buckle recipe with streusel topping—and how to make muffins light and airy. And: a poll + paid subs get 15% off code for Guittard Chocolate!
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It’s been a WEEK! My oven broke, but it broke with the convection fan ON.
I’m a very handy person—back when we used VCRs, then added on DVD players, and then WII, I was always the one who figured out the connections with 95 cables when we moved apartments. I fixed blown fuses, built all of the IKEA furniture, and am expert at stud-finding in drywall. But this fan stuck on high was blowing like the Mistral in southern France for two and a half days straight and I thought was going to lose my mind, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to fix it (it was hard-wired). I now see why they say people literally go mad during the Mistral.
All to say, I’ve been recipe testing in my countertop Breville toaster oven (which I love) and it’s taking a lottttt of time! I had to run out to get a toaster oven-sized muffin pan, and also discovered my oven ran 25 degrees cool.
But these muffins and the buckle variation were worth the extra time it took to develop them! The batter has just enough corn for a bit of crunch and flavor, and they have a soft, buttery crumb that is lightly sweet, and packed with juicy blueberries.
Baking tip for the fluffiest muffins: after mixing the blueberries into the batter, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Don’t mix again—just scoop and bake and your muffins will have a noticeably more open crumb than if you bake right after mixing (see photo above; BIG difference).
The oven temperature is also on the higher side than you might be used to for muffins. The reasons behind the rest/chill and oven temp are similar to when you’re making Madeleines: the batter that is touching the metal pan will set first, then the cold batter in the center will rise and push up, giving you that nice bump on top. Resting the batter allows the baking powder a little more time to create CO2 bubbles—and you get the added benefit of allowing the GF flours and cornmeal to absorb moisture and soften.
As many on Instagram pointed out: we all do better with a rest + chill.
I found that not sugaring the tops gave a better rise as well; I think the crust that forms from sugaring the tops prevents the bump from forming.
Bakeries and restaurants routinely make enough batter for 2 days of service for muffins, Madeleines, scones, and financiers, but I found that all it takes is 30 minutes to get the benefits (larger batches would chill for longer).
POLLPOLLPOLLPOLLPOLL…..
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