American Muffins

An American muffin is a type of quick bread baked in small portions with a shape similar to cupcakes although not as sweet as cupcakes and usually without icing. Muffins are often eaten for breakfast, morning and afternoon tea with many varieties and flavors to choose from through ingredient such as blueberries, chocolate chips, cucumbers, raspberry, cinnamon, pumpkin, date, nut, lemon, banana, orange, peach, strawberry, boysenberry, almond and carrot. 

American muffins can be divided into two varieties bread or cake and each kind offer a separate technique intended for mixing the batter.  A basic muffin batter contains ingredients such as flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, eggs, a liquid or solid fat and milk, buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. Fruit, nuts, chocolate, vanilla extract, spices, cornmeal, bran and oats are added to give the muffins flavour and texture. Streusel topping or glaze is used for outside added flavour and texture which can alter a plain muffin into something extraordinary.

A perfect American Muffin is symmetrical with a domed top, an uneven surface and should feel light and at the same time when cut in half its interior should be moist and tender with no tunnels. Since it is a quick bread they are best eaten the day they are made.

A bread muffin batter can be assembled and baked in 20-25 minutes and only two bowls are needed to make the batter, one bowl to mix all the dry ingredients together and a second bowl containing all the wet ingredients.  The fat for the bread-like muffins is typically in liquid form as oil or melted butter. The wet and dry ingredients are blended separately and the two mixtures combined.  It is important not to over mix the batter which develops the gluten in the flour that can produce a tough muffin with tunnels and a compact texture. 

A cake muffin batter is prepared using the same method as for making a cake batter. Butter and sugar are creamed together. Eggs are mixed in followed by wet and dry ingredients which are added alternatively. The high sugar and fat content generates a richer muffin with a softer crumb and also reduces the development of gluten.

Streusel is a crumbly topping containing a mixture of butter, flour, and sugar.  Spices, chopped nuts, and oats can be added.  This mixture is sprinkled over the top of baked goods before they are placed in the oven.  It provides a crisp crust that adds both taste and texture to baked goods.

Muffin cups come in round sheets of paper, foil, silicone or metal and are used to line the bottoms of muffin tins to make possible for an easy removal of the finished muffin from the baking tin. They promote a more precise form and moisture on the other hand it will prevent a crust.

Muffin recipes on my blog Chocolate Chip Muffins, Potato Bacon and Parsley Muffins, Apple and Cinnamon Muffins, Blueberry Muffins, Apricot and Mint Muffins, Banana Cinnamon and Pecan Muffins, Blackberry Apple and Milk Chocolate Muffins, Carrot Muffins, Spinach Cheese Savoury Muffins, Coconut and Dried Mango Muffins, Date Gingerbread Muffins, Hummingbird Muffins, and more