My muffins don't rise

I just can't seem to get a rise out of my blueberry muffins. The recipe is an old one
I've used and made for many years, and the taste and texture are fine. But the muffins seem to rise to the top of the muffin tin and remain flat. How do I get that great rise and peak that you see so often at bakeries and shops? Thank you.

[Katherine]

If you like the recipe you're using, aside from the fact that it doesn't "mushroom" out the top of the muffin tins, just increase the amount of batter in each cup. If you only fill them 1/2 full, as recipes tell you to, you'll never get that mushroom shape. We always filled them almost to the top when I was baking breakfast muffins. Or you can buy a muffin pan with smaller cups, and fill them fuller.

[m brown]

Carbo, I'm with Katherine on this and if adding more batter is not sufficiant, try this:
add a 25% more leavening and mix batter twice as long.

what is the leavening by the way? you may need to add a bit of acid (vinegar, cream of tartar, butter milk, brown sugar or lemon juice) to better activate the baking soda.
or you may need to get some fresh baking powder or soda.

keep us posted.

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bake first, ask questions later

The recipe is for twelve standard size muffin cups, filled 2/3. I'm using 1 tbls of baking powder. The only acid would be the zest of one lemon. It does not call for any baking soda.
Would a simple solution be increasing the baking powder by one additional teaspoon?
Would buttermilk in place of milk be helpful?
Also, won't over-mixing the batter cause the finished product to be tough?
Thank you for your time and assistance.

[m brown]

I thought overmixing would toughen them up but for some reason a little more mixing makes them have greater structure to puff and hold the dome. also try a new tin of baking powder.
baking soda is bicarbonate of soda and reacts with acid.
baking powder contains baking soda, cream of tartar and starch. it has it's own acid and reacts to liquids and heat!




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bake first, ask questions later

[m brown]

One more thing, then I am signing off for the evening I swear!

Try turning up the heat! Of course, baking powder reacts to liquid and heat soooo....

pre heat oven to 425F place muffins in oven and drop temp to 400F.
If formula calls for a 425F oven then pre- heat to 450F and drop temp to 425F

Thank you and good nite!



[This message has been edited by m brown (edited August 30, 2000).]

A resurrection? This morning I made a batch of Plantation Muffins. The same recipe last week resulted in delicious, but flat, tops.
I always put my muffins in a very hot oven, 450 degrees, then lower it to the proper temp. This time, though, I increased the baking powder from 5 teaspoons to 6. But, what I noticed may be the critical factor.
The first batch of 12 were as flat as Kansas.
The leftover few, which sat around for about 30 minutes before entering the oven, erupted like Vesuvius, and had beautiful peaks. Have I been missing this "trick" all along?
Is allowing the batter to rest before baking a known technique for getting these results?
As always, thanks again.

[m brown]

rest is a beautiful thing, often muffin batter is made a day or two ahead and put in the cooler and scooped as needed.

keep the helpful hints coming!

[UniChef]

Yes, as m brown says, we all do store a couple day's worth of batter at a time, but actually baking powder is neutralized by exposure to liquid. So a fresh batch will rise higher than a batch made the day before.