Muffins muffins muffins

Penelope_Penguin

veersix wrote: »

Hi,

I found a recipe at home for making double chocolate chip muffins. The recipe calls for plain yoghurt, which surprised me. Can anyone explain the reason why you'd use yoghurt for making muffins?

Thanks.

As a raising agent The lactic acid will react with the alkaline raising agents (bicarb or baking powder ) releasing carbon dioxide gas, which will help the muffins rise.

Penny. x

penguine

If you don't have any plain yoghurt on hand, you can substitute milk (or a non-dairy milk) with a tablespoon or so of lemon juice added. It will serve the same purpose.

veersix

Aah right, thanks for that.

Cat72

There is a fantastic reciepe on here for american muffins and you dont need to use yogurt.
I always get huge compliments about them, and regularily make chocolate chip.
Might also be cheaper than using yogurt. I will try and find it .

Frugalista

I've got a big pot of (out-of-date:embarasse) fruit yoghurt - can I use that? And can you post the recipe please?:D

penguine

Frugalista wrote: »

I've got a big pot of (out-of-date:embarasse) fruit yoghurt - can I use that? And can you post the recipe please?:D

If the fruit flavour is compatible with whatever muffins you're making, you can. I often eat (or use) slightly out of date yoghurt, so long as it's not more than a week past the date and hasn't been opened (and doesn't have anything growing on it...) I assume it's OK.

clair2305

Dear All

wot am I doing wrong

I tried some time ago to make some muffins from a recipe on here (can't remember what ones), didn't come out well at all

then I tried Rachel Allen's peanut butter and and banana muffins, same again. They just seem to take ages to cook, don't really rise or brown at all. They are cooked as the mixture is dry and no longer wet, but to be honest, taste foul.

I've got a silicon muffin tray (you know blue and floppy) and I still put muffin cases in as well.

Despite having a GCSE in cooking, as my mum says "she just aint got it in her" which really makes hubbt laugh, cos my mum is a great cook....it's like the cooking skills skipped a generation.

I'm a one pot cook person (and under duress)

However, sorry getting side-tracked.

Can anyone tell me a really easy recipe I can try as a start that's basically foolproof please, inc any instructions about beating or not, etc, how much to fill cases

And wot do people think of silicon bakeware?

Thanks

floyd

Hi Clair,

Personally I don't rate silicon bakeware at all. Everything I made in the brownie pan and cupcake mold I had was dreadful, even recipes that are normally foolproof.

Is it possible you are overmixing? This makes them tough, dense and they won't rise. When you add your wet (oil, milk, eggs, yoghurt etc) into dry (flour, baking powder/ baking soda, sugar, cocoa etc) you should only mix for 30 seconds using a metal dessert spoon until only just combined. Lumps are OK, in fact they are a good thing, never beat the mixture as this makes it very tough.

Fill cups no more than 2/3 full and put straight in the oven, don't leave them sitting as its the combination of wet/acid with baking powder or baking soda that makes them rise.

Start with a simple recipe like choc chip, I find recipes with fruit and extras are more likely to be temperamental.

The recipe I always use is the Susan Reimer one which should be in this thread somewhere

Good luck

clair2305

floyd wrote: »

Hi Clair,

Personally I don't rate silicon bakeware at all. Everything I made in the brownie pan and cupcake mold I had was dreadful, even recipes that are normally foolproof.

Is it possible you are overmixing? This makes them tough, dense and they won't rise. When you add your wet (oil, milk, eggs, yoghurt etc) into dry (flour, baking powder/ baking soda, sugar, cocoa etc) you should only mix for 30 seconds using a metal dessert spoon until only just combined. Lumps are OK, in fact they are a good thing, never beat the mixture as this makes it very tough.

Fill cups no more than 2/3 full and put straight in the oven, don't leave them sitting as its the combination of wet/acid with baking powder or baking soda that makes them rise.

Start with a simple recipe like choc chip, I find recipes with fruit and extras are more likely to be temperamental.

The recipe I always use is the Susan Reimer one which should be in this thread somewhere

Good luck

Thanks a million for that, I'm off the bake some, may add coconut to 1st batch n see how they come out.....watch this space :rotfl:

floyd

Couldn't see the basic Susan Reimer recipe so I thought I would add it:

9oz plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4-6oz caster sugar (I use 5oz)
1 medium egg
3oz choc chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
8floz milk
3floz vegetable oil (sunflower is fine too or 3oz melted butter)

-Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in one bowl and mix in choc chips (dry mix)
-Beat egg with milk, vanilla and oil in another bowl (wet mix)
-Pour wet onto dry and stir with a dessert spoon for 30 secs to give a lumpy 'ploppy' batter
-Fill muffin cases 2/3-3/4 full and bake immediately at 190-200 degrees (gas5-6) for 20-25 mins until the tops spring back when pushed.

Its always wise to check your oven temp with a thermometer as I was caused many years of baking heartache by a dodgy oven that was running 2 gas marks too high