They're Muffins but not as we know them!!

[Dippedy]

Hi

This is a question for anyone who can throw a little light on my dilemma. I have been trying to make muffins for months now. I have followed numerous different recipes (plain flour, self raising flour) but the result is always the same!... They will not rise! So all I get is a rather flat looking cake with no lovely muffin top
The recipes I have seen all just say to use oil, is there a particular kind of oil that is better to use? Why are my muffins more like pancakes? Please help me, I don't know where I'm going wrong

Dippedy

[shel]

Originally Posted by Dippedy

Hi

This is a question for anyone who can throw a little light on my dilemma. I have been trying to make muffins for months now. I have followed numerous different recipes (plain flour, self raising flour) but the result is always the same!... They will not rise! So all I get is a rather flat looking cake with no lovely muffin top
The recipes I have seen all just say to use oil, is there a particular kind of oil that is better to use? Why are my muffins more like pancakes? Please help me, I don't know where I'm going wrong

Dippedy

Please post a recipe or two.

[m brown]

Start out by purchasing some fresh self-rising flour, baking powder and baking soda.
It sounds like the ones you have, have fizzled out.
If you are making yeast muffins, get some new yeast.
The primary leavening is chemical in muffins so you want a reaction when mixing and baking.
Yeast muffins retain more vitamins but have a different crumb and character.


Also, post your formulas and we can help you further.

[Joyfull]

Overmixing could be your problem also. Muffins need a gentle touch. Fold and stir the wet ingredients into the dry until they are barely combined. Do this step by hand, don't use a mixer as it will over do it.

[MikeLM]

This is a low-fat high-fiber muffin recipe I picked up on the internet but... I can't remember where. We like it so much I make a batch of 24, freeze them, and zap a couple for breakfast most mornings.

1 C All-Bran cereal (Trader Joe's has the same thing for half price- "TJ's High Fiber Cereal")
1 C boiling water
1 C sugar
3/4 C applesauce (we like TJ's Gravenstein unsweetened a-sauce)
1/2 C egg substitute (OK, we cheat... 2 whole large eggs) still pretty lo-fat
2-1/2C whole wheat pastry flour
2-1/2 teasp baking soda
1/2 teasp salt
2 C buttermilk (or skim milk with 2 Tbsp lemon juice) we've used both- works both ways
6 oz or more chopped dried fruit- we prefer apricots, cranberries, and raisins. Usually all three. This is what really makes the muffin

Pour water over cereal and let stand
Mix together remaining ingredients and add the softened cereal: remarks above about not over-mixing should be observed
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes in muffin tins sprayed with non-stick spray

Freezes just fine and 40 seconds in the microwave brings them piping hot for the table.

You should really give this one a try. We quit buying Natural Ovens muffins when I found the recipe. These are probably 1/5 the cost of the store-bought.

Mike

[m brown]

dig the fiber muffins dude! my son loves muffins and green tea (mathca)
just got a killer baking book by a Korean Pastry Chef and Will be making green tea muffins!
(with red beans)

Dippedy, where is the formula!!!

[Dippedy]

Here are a couple of the recipes I have tried. I have tried many more than this but couldn't possibly post them all here. The first one is a recipe my daughter had to follow in her school cookery lesson and the second is just one from a book I have.

Ingredients
300g self raising flour
150g soft brown or caster sugar
1 medium sized egg
175ml milk
125ml vegetable oil
Method
Pre-heat oven to 190degrees/Gas Mark 5. Sieve flour into mixing bowl and add the sugar. Crack egg into a bowl, add milkand oil and beat with a fork. Add liquid to flour and sugar and mix quickly and lightly. Spoon mixture into muffin cases and then bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup glacé cherries
2tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
Method
Mix together all dry ingredients and make a well in the centre. Blend together the remaining ingredients and mix into the dry ingredients until just blended. Do not overmix. Spoon into muffin cases and bake in a preheated oven at 200degC/400degF/gas mark 6 for 20 minutes until well risen and springy to the touch.

I have a feeling that I may be over mixing but if anyone would like to try these recipes and let me know the outcome I would much appreciate it.

Dippedy (just call me the muffin mauler!)

[siduri]

I think the most essential thing in getting muffins to rise is the temperature. The oven should be hot, i think around 400, 425, or they will cook on top before they get big.

if this is not the problem, then I would say maybe the recipe has too much fat in proportion to flour (or are you using a recipe from another country from where you are??). European flour is weaker and butter is more greasy, and recipes sometiomes have to be adapted if they come from the US.

I suppose old baking powder can be a problem, but i've NEVER had a problem with my baking powder. Try adding water to a spoonful of it, it should foam. If it does, it's working.
Mixing too much is a big problem, but it will make them tough and with little worm-tunnel-like holes in them.

[BettyR]

I got this recipe from a friend several years ago. Before this recipe I couldn't make a muffin to save my life. These are VERY good and foolproof; my friend's mom said that the ground almonds retard the development of gluten so they are can handle a lot of abuse. The almonds also add a wonderful flavor. If I can make them anyone can!

Do check you baking powder, if you don't use it very much it could be old.


My Mom's Wonderful Muffins

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar (I like to use half sugar and half Splenda-they seem lighter to me that way)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Jumbo eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
blueberries

Preheat oven to 400°
Combine flour, sugar, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and process until the almonds are ground into a fine meal.
Add the eggs, milk, vanilla and oil; process for 30 to 45 seconds or until the mixture is well combined.
Spoon into paper lined muffin cups; drop several blueberries on top of each muffin and poke them into the batter with your fingers.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Makes 1 1/2 dozen muffins.

Variations:
Combine:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until the consistency of course cracker crumbs. Sprinkle mixture over muffins and bake as above.
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Replace 1/2 the sugar with brown sugar and top with chocolate chips and bake as above.
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Replace 1/2 the vanilla with strawberry extract and top with sliced strawberries, poke strawberries down into the batter with your finger and bake as above.
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Increase sugar to 1-1/2 cups and add 3 ounces of melted baking chocolate; top with white chocolate chips and chopped pecans and bake as above.
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In a saucepan over low heat melt 20 caramels with 3 tablespoons of milk, stir until smooth. Top muffins with chocolate chips, then spoon caramel sauce over the chips and top with chopped pecans. Bake as above.