Muffin: a story of little English sweets
English cuisine boasts not a few typical recipes that over time have conquered everyone for their goodness.
Just like it happened with the muffins: simple and fluffy round shaped tartlets which, unlike cupcakes; American preparation, don't provide for covering the surface with glazes or frosting.
They can be savory, like cornbread muffins, and of course sweet: the most loved and cooked ones are prepared with a filling of blueberries, chocolate, lemon, banana, walnuts, almonds and raspberries.
The word muffin is mentioned for the first time, in England, in 1703 with the writing moofin.
The classic recipe is quite controversial and subject to differences between ingredients and preparation methods.
There are two main types of muffins:
- English
- American
Traditional recipe VS healthy recipe
Traditionally both types were baked in the oven, slightly sweetened, packaged with wheat or corn flour, milk, butter, yeast and salt and served hot.
It seems that until the mid-19th century muffins were mainly a food of the lower classes at the service of the English gentlemen.
Were fried and made with the leftover bread from the day before, processed with the scraps of shortcrust pastry or with potatoes and the result was that of a crunchy cake on the outside and soft on the inside.
Its during the Victorian era that the goodness of muffins conquers all social classes, becoming the favorite dessert for tea time
Anyone strolling through London in the afternoon could meet the Muffin Men in the streets; the muffin men who wore these treats on their heads or hung around their necks on wooden trays.
Their arrival was announced by the sound of a bell which over time had become so many that, in 1840, an act of the English parliament even decided to prohibit its use; however, this measure remained unnoticed.
Perfect muffin tricks
Today there are infinite variations but the rules to follow to prepare perfect muffins without errors that I had the opportunity to learn in London, during my course at the Hummingbird Bakery, are 5:
- The liquids must be processed in a different container from that of the dry ingredients and it will be the liquid part that must be poured into the dry and never the other way around
- After the two compounds have been combined they must be worked for a very short time making a few turns: the mixture must remain lumpy and with cooking it will become perfect
- The dough must be poured into the cups quickly
- The oven preheats to 200° because it will be the thermal shock that will allow optimal leavening
- When cooked, the muffins are left to rest for 10 minutes inside the oven with the door half closed.
This step will allow the cakes not to deflate.
Today we prepare muffins following the English rules but we make them in a healthy version, without using sugar and using clarified butter instead of the traditional one.
Blueberry muffins are perfect for the whole family's breakfast or snack
Use Smile Crunch biscuit oatmeal which makes them tasty and delicious and which, combined with fresh blueberries, will make our muffins marvels to be tried.
Ingredients
Dough for 11 muffins:
250g biscuit flavored oat flour
105g of organic erythritol
70g of stevia
8g of baking powder
1g of salt
100g of soft ghee
2 eggs (48g 52g)
150g sugar-free almond milk (at temperature)
150g of fresh blueberries
Method
Turn on the oven at 200° (static).
Prepare a muffin pan by inserting the paper cups.
In a container put the flour, yeast, salt, blueberries. Turn, form a fountain and keep aside.
In another container work the eggs with the milk with a hand whisk.
In the third container (possibly high) whip, with the mixer, the soft ghee with the stevia and the erythritol until obtaining a soft and frothy cream.
Add the eggs and milk to this cream and, again with the electric whisk, work the mixture for a few minutes.
Now pour the liquids into the container of dry ingredients and stir gently with the hand whisk. Don't shoot too much. The mixture must be streaked and the presence of some lumps will make the dough even softer.
Pour the mixture into the cups by spoonfuls for 3/4 of their capacity.
Bring the oven temperature to 180º (350F).
Cook for 30 minutes.
At the end of cooking open the oven keeping the door slightly open and keep the muffins inside for 10 minutes, take the muffins out of the oven and let them cool completely.
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