food 4 tots

How to make muffins

muffin, how to make muffins, blueberry muffins, muffins

 

I have been baking muffins for couple of months. Throughout this trial and error period, I learnt 2 important tips in making muffins which I like to share with you in this post. For those who are first timer at making muffins or those whose muffins are still turning out to be less than (or like mine initially, far from) perfect, the following tips will definitely come in handy in your next attempt.

 

A) MAKE-UP OR MIXING METHODS FOR MUFFINS 

There are 2 methods in making muffins – THE MUFFIN METHOD and THE CREAMING METHOD. There is no wrong or right answer in choosing either method. It depends on how much time you have, and what kind of texture you prefer for your muffins.

Here’s how the two methods differ:

THE MUFFIN METHOD:

  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then stir them together until just combined (not lumpy free – so that the gluten in the flour will not be developed).
  • You do not need an electric mixer. A spatula will do a better job.
  • This method is quick and easy.
  • Advantage: Both dry and wet ingredients can be prepared the night before. You can store the wet ingredients in the refrigerator and have them mixed with the dry ingredients in the morning. This will save you time on a busy morning and also get to enjoy fresh.

THE CREAMING METHOD:

  • Cream the butter and sugar until light (preferablyusing an electric mixer) and then add in the other ingredients. The objective is to drive the sharp sugar crystals through the butter creating tiny voids of air in the mixture. This will help the muffin to rise.
  • Advantage: sugar and fat are well-dispersed in the batter and the entrained air tends to make for a light, fine crumb in the muffins.

(Source:Make-up or mixing methods for muffins by The Prepared Pantry)

 

B) HOW TO MAKE HIGH-DOMED MUFFINS

If you want to make your muffin’s top peaks, here are some simple guidelines to follow:

  1. Measure the leavening properly- 1 tsp baking powder per 100g flour or ¼ tsp baking soda per 100g flour (+ sufficient acidity from a sour ingredient to react with it). I think if you follow closely the recipe, it will not be an issue.
  2. Make sure dry ingredients are well mixed and the final batter is lightly mixed. The batter should be thick, “spoonable” not “pourable”
  3. Fill the cups almost to the brim (90%). I had followed this tip but my muffins overflew before setting. So I filled them up until 80% and they turned out just fine.
  4. Start off the oven hot – This sets the top crust quickly which allows the batter underneath to stay liquid, build up pressure and eventually burst up like a volcano. Typically, muffins are baked at 190°c – 200°c. But you can preheat the oven to 220 °c and then turn it down to the right temperature (200°c ) after putting your muffins in. I think this is the most critical point to take note.

(Source: Ask The Foodie column by Chris Tan (The Sunday Times) and The Secrets of the Dome” by The Prepared Pantry)

 

how to make muffins, blueberry muffins, muffins

 

The muffin method is highly recommended if you want to teach your kids (including your husband) to learn how to bake. But today I am sharing a blueberry muffin recipe using the creaming method instead in this post. Why? The reason is simple. This recipe which adapted from my cookbook calls for smaller amount of ingredients (of course, you can double it if you want to bake more) and also comes with step-by-step illustrations.

 

This recipe was tried and tested by me for many times. So far, they had never disappointed me.I love the soft and moist texture of the muffins produced by this method,  just like a mini butter cake but a lighter version. These muffins taste really delicious and not too sweet for my taste buds.  Now they are a great hit in my family!

 

I made a mistake of mixing the blueberries into the batter and covered the top of the muffin mould with a little bit of batter to hide the blueberries as I thought it would yield a nicer looking muffins. But the cooked muffins proved me wrong. By right, I should follow the tip mentioned in note (1). Now I regret so much looking at my muffins as the blueberries were all hidden in the muffins. Well, I will try to improve the outlook of my muffins in my next attempt.

 

>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW  for blueberry muffin recipe……….

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153 Comments

  1. I love muffins! Your has very nice crumb texture 🙂 Freshly baked muffins are heavenly!

  2. Selba says:

    Good to learn about the 2 methods of making muffins.

    I want to give a try this recipe but it’s very difficult to find blueberry, maybe I can change it to something else i.e: strawberry?

    • food-4tots says:

      Selba: I haven’t tried strawberry before but you can give it a try with the chopped ones. Alternatively, you can use raisins, apples or banana. 😉

      • food-4tots says:

        I had found some useful tips on using strawberries from here.

        Strawberries are often considered “too watery” to use in baked goods such as muffins and breakfast breads. Here are some tips for baking successfully with fresh strawberries:
        a) Use only really fresh berries that are firm, not mushy.
        b) Don’t add too many strawberries to the batter which could make it too wet.
        c) Avoid using frozen strawberries, which would be too watery.

        Hope it helps.

  3. Amy says:

    It’s taken me years to not over-mix the batter, so I end up with flaky/fluffy muffins, not solid bricks. Actually, it’s still a work in progress.

    I didn’t know there were too muffin methods. Great “how-to” post!

  4. I’ve been using this book recipe for muffins. It’s turn out quite nice but sometime the batter is not very thick and ended up it’s not like a HIGH-DOMED MUFFINS. Thanks for sharing the tips. I shall take note on mixing the batter next time. Cheesr!

    By the way, did you try the Missy Muffins? It looks very nice!

    • food-4tots says:

      Kitchen Corner: I think the timing in mixing the ingredients is important to get a thick batter. One thing I didn’t follow this book is the baking temperature which sets at 170C. It is too low and the muffins didn’t turn completely brown after 25 mins. Maybe you can do another experiment with these tips. I haven’t tried the Missy Muffins before. Will give it a try if I happen to find them. Tks for your info. 😉

  5. homeladychef says:

    I know blueberries are in season now and that’s why you are baking blueberry muffins!! Bingo! i like them! Thanks for all your tips!! It’s really useful. 😉

  6. I also bake muffins as muffins is quick and usually with a small family like me, it is easy to finish muffins than cakes. lol I will give your muffins a try! Thanks for sharing!

  7. this published at the right time, my sister-in-law is looking for such recipe. 🙂
    thanks for sharing!!

  8. Great post! I was just thinking of making some muffins!

  9. Great tips. I always wonder why the muffins sold at the store has the volcano shape. You are so attentive to small details. I am a lazy baker. I mix everything together and blend with electronic mixer, so fast. LOL.

  10. Carolyn says:

    Where do you find those cute muffin cups?!?! I can find them in white but I have searched the web with no results. HELP!!

    • food-4tots says:

      Carolyn: I also was like you before that, searching high and low for muffin cups as I can’t find a suitable 12 holes muffin tray. I was so happy when I found theme at Phoon Huat, Simei. Hope you can find them too. 😉

  11. mycookinghut says:

    I love muffins! I always prefer homemade muffins!! Great tips you have shared with us! Thanks!! 🙂

  12. ck lam says:

    Muffin is always a good teatime snack 🙂

  13. lingzie says:

    i LOVE your cute muffin cases! nice!
    and who can say no to fresh, light and fluffy muffins? yummy!

  14. Heidi says:

    I have been trying for so long to get muffins with perfect tops and as of yet still have not succeeded! I will definitely try out your tips and probably that recipe too soon, thank you!

  15. Dora says:

    Wa! So many muffins. Do i get to receive one? 😉

  16. Kim says:

    I know this is a little irrelevant… but any tips on how to make ‘flat-top’ cupcakes/muffins?

    By the way this how-to post of yours is really an eye opener!! 😀 Thanks!

    • food-4tots says:

      Kim: Tks!! I haven’t tried making flat-top cupcakes/ muffins before but my friend who is good at making cupcakes has 2 tips for sharing:
      a) cut the top off to flatten it. (the common method)
      b) measure the batter accurately to ensure the cup cake’s height is just right. But it will still have a little rounded at the top. Hope it helps! 😉

  17. Ching says:

    Looks great! If I get to choose, the 1st always win, as I don’t have to cream the butter and sugar with beaters. LOL! Less item to wash.

  18. those are awesome muffins! I just love blueberries!

  19. Alice says:

    Good methods and explanation! Will try it out the next time! Nice little blueberries… & mouth watering muffins!

  20. allie says:

    I just had blueberry cupcakes made by my aunt as breakfast! Yours looks great! I luv your shots!

  21. peanutts says:

    yuummmm Muffins are the best, its easy and the best way to sneak in some healthy stuff into kids and reluctant hubbies hehe. I love blue berry muffins, Another is carrot and apple. I have heard of savoury muffins , have you tried any of those?

    • food-4tots says:

      Peanutts: Carrot and apple sounds a great combi to me! I haven’t tried any savoury muffins before except for cheese muffins. But I still prefer the normal ones. 😉

  22. Maya says:

    Love muffins!! Thanks for the extensive info…. Congrats on the new site 🙂

  23. Christina says:

    These really are perfect muffins, and I’ve been having a question on my mine never get those amazing crowns. Thanks for the tips!

  24. tigerfish says:

    That is all very useful info when I start learning how to bake one day. One day…

  25. Love how your muffin looks, so moist and tasty. My daughter loves muffin, when ever we were out for tea in coffebean, she sure asked for blueberry muffin. Next time, I will just bake for her and we don’t have to pay for the high-priced muffin and save some money during this bad economy!!! Thanks for recipe!

  26. priscilla says:

    hey there. great article! i’ve always make sure my cupcakes cases are filled up to 3/4 of the cases. my batter is always pretty runny, and my cupcakes always rise sky high!

    i love this article. taught me alot~

  27. Christine says:

    Wow, incredible tips on baking “good looking” blueberry muffins.
    Muffins are my family’s favourite snack.

  28. KY says:

    Though this method (creaming) is a bit time consuming but it worth the trouble. I get muffins with the right texture which I like. This recipe yields the best blueberry muffins so far compared to the previous ones I’ve tried. Thanks!

  29. buzzingbee says:

    your muffin looks perfect..moist and not overbaked.
    Problem when I make muffins is the oven. It gets hot very fast and I have to keep adjusting the temp to avoid the top from being burnt.

  30. Snow says:

    Your muffin look great. Would like to try out when I’m free.

    Would like to know what is low protein flour
    ? Can I use other flour like plain flour, self raising flour or top flour? And how much?

    • food-4tots says:

      Snow: Tks for your compliment!! Cake flour is considered as low protein flour whereas plain flour is medium protein flour. This recipe is not suitable for self-raising flour because it used salt and baking powder. I use top flour (with the same amount) when making these muffins. Happy trying! 😉

  31. Snow says:

    Thanks a lot. I got 1 pack of unopen Top flour brought from Phoon huat and was kept inside my fridge. Hahaha… now I know how I can make use of the top flour.

    • food-4tots says:

      Snow: I used top flour from Bake King. It stated that this flour is suitable for making butter cookies, chiffon cakes, crepes, donuts, pineapple tarts, swiss rolls and all kinds of soft fluffy sponge cakes. Besides muffins, I used it (instead of plain flour) to make my banana pancakes and they turned out to be soft and fluffy. Do give it a try! 😉

  32. Snow says:

    Tried the muffins today, hubby and my boy(coming 2yr old) like it very much. The texture was so smooth and got lot of butter taste. Your recipe stated that can make 12 small muffins, but I can only baked 6.

    • food-4tots says:

      Snow: Tks a lot for your kind feedback. So glad to know that your family enjoyed it so much. I used mini muffin paper cups instead of the usual muffin tray. So the size is smaller. If you used the 6-cups muffin tray from Phoon Huat, you can make a batch with this recipe. 😉

  33. Snow says:

    Hahaha… oh yes, I using the 6 cups muffins tray. Instead of blueberries, I used banana. Thanks for the recipe 🙂

  34. HT says:

    Hi! I tried your tips on starting off the oven hot then turn it down to the right temperature after putting your muffins in. It works! My muffins have very nice dome. I’m so happy since i’m a beginner in baking and this is my 2nd time baking muffins. Thank you so much.

    However, 1 thing is after the muffins left for awhile, the textures become drier & slight harder. No longer that soft as compare to fresh from oven. Is it ok to put it back to Oven or Microwave it for a while b4 serving ?

    • food-4tots says:

      HT: Tks a lot for your kind feedback. Before serving, preheat your oven/ toaster for 5 mins, switch off the power and put the muffins inside for another 5 minutes to warm them up. This will help to moisten your muffins again. I’m not sure about microwave as I don’t have one at home. But I guess you can give it a try. If the texture of your muffins becomes dry and hard after cooling, it could be due to your baking time is too long or the temperature of your oven is too hot. Try to either shorten your baking time or reduce the temperature slightly towards the last few minutes. Hope it helps. Do let me know the outcome of your next attempt. Happy trying! 😉

  35. ai-ling says:

    Hello, there! I tried making the muffins and as a matter of fact, I just took them out of the oven about half an hour ago. Verdict: They are soft and super delicious! My two lil’ boys love them very much! Thanks for sharing all the finer tips 😉

    p/s: I attempted your non-baked lemon cheese cake two days ago. It was fabulous! It looks like I’ll be trying out each and every single one of your recipe soon 😀

  36. Snow says:

    Hi,

    The strawberry muffin cup you used very nice. Do you still put the cup in the muffin tray when baking?

    • food-4tots says:

      Snow: Yes, I used it as a subsitute for my muffin tray. If you look at the photos on my post, you can see these muffin cups inside the oven during baking. 😉

  37. snow says:

    Would like to know, which brand of flour do you buy? I usually get all my flour from Phoon Huat. Will there be any diff?

    Hahaha… I become your fan in facebook.

    • food-4tots says:

      Snow: Tks for joining my fan page. I usually buy Prima and Bake King from NTUC as it is more convenient. Different brand has different % of protein. During my baking lesson, I was told by my teacher to get local flour as it is more suitable to our climate. Hope it helps. 😉

  38. Sonia says:

    hi,

    Theses look very interesting but i dont see any ingredients apart from the baking powder and flour? how much eggs?etc……

    Someone please help

    thank you

  39. Hello, everyone, andthank you, f4t, for the great tips.

    Just wanted to say, if you search for “ruffled muffin cups,” you might get better local results. I think I found something like the pretty cups above at http://www.fancyflours.com., but I’m continuing my search using the “ruffled” term.
    Best,
    Jude

  40. JC says:

    Love this recipe! All six muffins were snapped up. Regretted not baking more!

  41. Catheryn Chuah says:

    Hi!

    Your muffins look very delicious!

    I have just started baking and chose muffins to experiment with because they say this is the easiest to bake.

    Your post above mentioned that 1 tsp b.powder for every 100gm of flour. But I have seen a lot of recipe which required less of it, example, 2 cups flour recipe only require 1 tsp of b.powder. And I think 2 cups is equivalent almost 400 or 500gm. And some recipes says to add baking soda and some says no. Is baking soda a must for muffins?

    Another issue I have is also, my muffins always comes out a bit dry and not as fluffy as I expected. What do you think is the culprit?

    What is the secret for fluffy and soft muffins? Is it the butter?

    • food-4tots says:

      Catheryn Chuah: Thanks for dropping by and your compliment! Yes, they are indeed the easiest especially if you use mixing method.

      Sorry that I can’t comment on other recipes unless I have tried it out. For my recipes, all of them are tried and tested by myself as well as my readers. Maybe you can give it a try and let me have your feedback later. It’s not a must to use baking powder for muffins just like my blueberry muffins (https://food-4tots.com/2009/08/22/how-to-make-muffins/2/) and banana muffins (https://food-4tots.com/2010/02/26/banana-muffins/2/).

      There are many reasons that can cause your muffins to be dry and not fluffy. Eg, wrong measurement, over-mixing, oven temperature and over-baking.

      Please go through my post on how to make muffins and all the muffin recipes I posted on my blog to find out the tips on how to make good muffins.

      Hope this clarifies your doubt.

  42. Catheryn Chuah says:

    Hello!
    My muffins attempt is now successful. I played around with the temperature and also modified it as I test out the recipes.
    And yes, yoghurt does a lot of magic for my muffins too.
    THanks for the tips!

  43. Pinkplspinky says:

    I used your recipe as a guide and made my own version of muffin!

    Here’s what I did:

    I substituted applesauce for butter and brown rice syrup for sugar. I also used whole wheat pastry flour and added some strawberries. I also added vanilla extract and cinnamon.

    Since I used frozen strawberries which are kinda mushy, I mixed both berries into the flour mixture before adding it to the wet mixture.

    My muffin turned out moist and “healthy tasting” but totally delish!

    Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I’m looking forward to baking some banana bread next!

    • food-4tots says:

      Pinkplspinky: Thanks for your kind feedback. I’m so happy to know about your own delicious version of muffin. You are so creative!! Hope you will like my banana bread too. 😉

  44. wei li says:

    Hey! i baked this batch of muffins today! and they turned out to be really nice! thanks for sharing the recipe!
    But just want to find out, do you know why after i leave it on the cooling rack for some time, the top part of my muffins tend to become abit sticky when i touch it?

    Thanks!

    • food-4tots says:

      Wei Li: Thanks for sharing your success story!! It is quite common that the top of the muffins turns a bit sticky as the bananas used in the recipe helps to create moist to the muffins. The muffins will be more moist if you leave it overnight. Hope it helps! 😉

  45. wei li says:

    hi!

    oh okay, but the muffin i made was the bluberry muffin, not the banana one. By the way, could i ask, for the milk, do i fold it in like the flour or do i beat it in with my hand mixer?

    Thanks!

    • food-4tots says:

      Wei Li: For blueberry muffins, when you add the first half of the milk, beat with hand mixer. Then for the remaining milk and flour, use fold in method. Hope it helps. 😉

  46. XJ says:

    Hi, your muffins look great! I would love to try it out! 🙂 But may I know how long can it be stored from the day it’s made?

    • food-4tots says:

      XJ: Thanks for your compliment!!! You can keep the muffins in an air tight container at room temperature for 2 days. If you can’t consume them within this period, put them in a freezer bag or container and store in the freezer. It can last 1-2 weeks. Prior to serving, remove from freezer, thaw them at room temperature. Meanwhile, heat up your toaster oven/ oven for 5 minutes. Then put these muffins into the toaster oven/ oven with switch off for another 5 minutes. Hope it helps. 😉

  47. teru says:

    hi, i tried making ur blueberry recipe

    it was simply delicious.

    my children finished it up less than an hour

    yummy~

  48. Ling says:

    Hi,

    I love blueberry muffins too and have been making them for a couple of years now. My recipe was taken from the Internet (can’t remember the source now). It also uses the creaming method (I prefer this texture!). Only 2 main difference: 1) use of yoghurt instead of milk (& hence baking soda too), 2) addition of cinnamon powder. I also add much more blueberries (the entire tub), hee hee.

    • food-4tots says:

      Ling: Thanks for your kind sharing. I love using yoghurt in baking too as it makes the cake/ muffins very moist the next day. I had posted a blueberry orange muffins recipe that also calls for yoghurt but uses mixing method. Do give it a try! 😉

  49. Jill says:

    Hi,

    I tried this recipe and it is really delicious. One thing is I don’t quite understand what is low protein flour, so I bought Top Flour by Bake King which says is for muffin too. What brand of flour did you used? I’m really getting a lot of confidence in caking making all thanks to yr simple easy to follow recipe.

  50. Grace says:

    Hi, I just bought an oven & cant wait to bake! I’m novice so May I know if I could substitute the low protein flour to like cake flour so I could use it to bake other stuffs too?

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