Where did my muffins go wrong?

[Guest guest]

dana:

> I just tried the basic muffin recipe and my muffins flopped. I

used freshly ground and soaked soft white wheat flour>

that could be your problem right there. soft wheat is normally

reserved for pastries, crusts, cookies, cakes, due to the lower

gluten; hard wheat for breads. did your muffins rise?

allene

conway, sc

[Guest guest]

The problem that you describe was the exact reason I originally joined this

list!

After numerous attempts - I have finally found something that works. First,

I must say that I used a modified version of the recipe to eliminate the

maple syrup and replace it with bananas - but this should not be a problem

for you. I actually found cooking Sally's original recipe to cook much

better than mine. Getting mine to work was a nightmare - but, I found a

solution, completely by accident:

soak the flour (I have successfully used soft and hard wheat flour) in

buttermilk.

-I found that it helped to cover the bowl with a damp cloth, otherwise

the batter gets a little crusty.

-I also found it easier to mix if it was soaked with the buttermilk and

softened butter.

(Other recipes call for this.)

I use the stoneware muffin pan - otherwise, the recipe would *never* work.

The most important point:

When pre-heating the oven (I have a very poor 11 year-old oven, and use 325

for 1hour) -

place a glass cake pan, half-full of water in the oven, on a rack just above

the rack reserved for the muffin pan.

Once oven reaches temp., insert muffin pan exactly under the cake pan. I

cook for 1hour, maybe adding at most 5-10mins.

Remove, place muffin pan on a rack for 5-10mins. Remove muffins.

I don't have a convection oven - so I don't know if this will work for you

(I hope it does). Possibly my fix is only addressing the poor heating and

temp. regulation of my old oven.

Good luck,

Deanna

----- Original Message -----

From: " Dana Milmeister " <danamilmeister@...>

< >

Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 11:07 PM

Subject: Where did my muffins go wrong?

I just tried the basic muffin recipe and my muffins flopped. I used freshly

ground and soaked soft white wheat flour and followed the recipe exactly. I

baked in a pampered chef stoneware muffin pan in a convection oven. The

recipe called for 325 for an hour; the stoneware and my convection oven

instructions advise to lower the temperature by about 25 degrees and cooking

time as necessary. I baked at 300 degrees for an hour, and they still

weren't done in the center; and then I baked for 20 more minutes at 325.

They still weren't cooked. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks

Dana

[Guest guest]

I tried the same recipe and mine were fine, however they were a little too

moist, very chewy (which I like) and didn't rise very well. My husband didn't

like them. So I tried converting another recipe to NT ingredients and they were

the biggest hit as far as muffins go that I've ever made. My one big

reservation about this recipe however, is that they are baked at 400 for 15-20

min. In NT Sally doesn't use that high of temp in her baked goods very often.

Only in the Yorkshire pudding and in the Cool Rise Bread. That makes me wonder

if that shouldn't be done. Anyway, in case it is ok, here's the recipe

Very Good Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 and melt your butter

Mix:

1/2 C rolled (or ground)) oats or other flour/grain...soaked in 1/2 C water + 1

T whey overnight

1/2 melted butter

1/4 C honey/sucanat or whatever

1 egg

Prepare your fruit (See below) Butter your muffin pan from the leftover butter

in the pan you melted the butter in

Add (not stirring until you've added each ingredient to the little pile):

1 1/2 C bulgur flour/arrowroot flour

1 1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t bakin soda

1/2 t salt

Don't stir until you've got your fruit ready.

Apple muffins: grate or dice 1 apple + 1 t vanilla + 1 C raisins

Blueberry: 1 C frozen blueberries, sprinkle cinnamon on top of muffins

Cranberry : 1 C chopped w/ 1 orange rind (double the sweetener)

Banana: 1 C mashed + 1/2 C or so chopped pecans or walnuts

Date: 1/2 C or so chopped with nuts (or part banana part date/nut is also

delicious)

Could try shredded carrot, zucchini, chopped soaked prunes .....

Be sure your oven is hot and pan is buttered. Quickly stir dry ingredients.

Fold in fruit. Spoon into pan, pop in oven and don't peek until 15 min is up

[Guest guest]

I don't know why - but I tried other muffin pans and found the muffins never

cooked in my old oven. I think the stoneware muffin pan helps pull the

moisture out of the muffins.

Deanna

>>I use the stoneware muffin pan - otherwise, the recipe would *never*

work.<<

Why?

Thanks,

carolyn

[Guest guest]

Just a clarification on e's reply :-):

Hard wheat is best for yeast breads; soft wheat for quick breads, etc.

(anything that is made without yeast). So I wouldn't think that soft

wheat would be a problem for the muffins.

Not exactly pertaining to muffins, but--I use hard wheat for my sourdough

(desem) bread, but I believe you can actually get away with maybe a mix

of hard and soft with a natural leaven (I think I read that in the Bread

Builders book, but I'm not sure.).

I haven't made the Basic Muffins in quite a while, but in looking at the

notes that I made in my book, it looks like I used kamut flour when I

made them. Also, I believe they do have a tendency in my experience to

be a bit tough on the outside and hard to get done on the inside. I just

have a regular oven and ss muffin tins, so I really don't have much

advice as far as your techniques go. I do know that I have stars

(meaning they were really good) next to the Raisin Muffin and Blueberry

Muffin variations. :-)

Bonnie in NC

On Tue, 26 Feb 2002 14:56:44 -0000 " allenerob " <sallene@...>

writes:

> dana:

>

> > I just tried the basic muffin recipe and my muffins flopped. I

> used freshly ground and soaked soft white wheat flour>

>

> that could be your problem right there. soft wheat is normally

> reserved for pastries, crusts, cookies, cakes, due to the lower

> gluten; hard wheat for breads. did your muffins rise?

>

> allene

> conway, sc

>

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[Guest guest]

>>I use the stoneware muffin pan - otherwise, the recipe would *never* work.<<

Why?

Thanks,

carolyn

[Guest guest]

ditto! In the stainless pans my muffins were almost doughy in the middle.

Once I switched to a stoneware pan they turned out great. I take them out

of the oven and let them sit a little in the pan to cool. That seems to

finish the center off without overcooking the outside. I had the same

problems with the yogurt bread. It's a beautiful almost fluffy bread with the

stoneware pan.

[Guest guest]

> I use the stoneware muffin pan - otherwise, the recipe would *never* work.

What would happen if you used glass custard cups?

> The most important point:

> When pre-heating the oven (I have a very poor 11 year-old oven, and use

325

> for 1hour) -

> place a glass cake pan, half-full of water in the oven, on a rack just

above

> the rack reserved for the muffin pan.

> Once oven reaches temp., insert muffin pan exactly under the cake pan. I

> cook for 1hour, maybe adding at most 5-10mins.

Deanna,

Can you explain the purpose of the cake pan half full of water? Is it

because of your poor oven?

Peace,

Kris , gardening in northwest Ohio