Monday Musing: What the Recipe Doesn't Say

Initially I would note that the muffins turned out excellent. Everyone seemed to enjoy them and there were only two left at the end of the day. I think they would be best served warm with a pat of butter. They make quite a hardy muffin, perfect for the unseasonably cold weather we've been having recently.

For this week's musing I'm turning my attention to some of the tricks I've learned that either aren't included in the recipe, or are easily overlooked. The first thing most people ignore is how imperative it is to let butter soften properly before it is creamed. If the butter isn't soft, it won't beat properly and the sugar won't incorporate properly, you'll have lumps of butter in the batter and the finished product will suffer.

Next, I cannot reiterate how important it is to use two (or more) separate bowls for ingredients. Mixing the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another is very important. I know that it's a pain but hear me out. Mixing the dry ingredients makes sure that the baking powder/soda, sugar and salt are incorporated throughout the flour. Otherwise you might end up with a pocket of baking soda or salt. It also allows the egg to be beaten with the other liquids and separate from the dry ingredient, which prevents the overbeating described more fully below.

It's also very important to use two bowls because when you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients you only want to mix them enough to combine them. This is extremely important. Muffin batter should be lumpy, not smooth. Overbeating batter will prevent the muffins from rising. Mix the batter just enough so that there aren't lumps of flour but not so much that it has a smooth consistency.

Another trick to get muffins to rise higher, admittedly one I don't use often and don't claim to understand, is to fill one of the cups of the muffin tin with a little bit of water. Through some voodoo this apparently helps the muffins to rise. Your mileage may vary.

If your baking powder or soda is old, throw it out. Like yeast, baking powder and soda do not have an unlimited shelf life. Don't go crazy but I'd say every 6 months or a year spend 75 cents or a buck and replace your baking powder/soda.