Published by The St. Louis Post Dispatch on July 28, 2010

If you’ve ever dropped by a diner or coffee shop, you’ve undoubtedly spied an assortment of muffins nestled on a cake stand or behind a glass pastry case. Plump, moist and overflowing with chips, berries and/or nuts, they bear a striking resemblance to cupcakes.

Muffins weren’t always the oversized, well-preserved, calorie-laden sweets that we consume today. When they first popped up in early 18th century Europe, they closely resembled bread. In fact, even the name “muffin” came from an old French term for soft bread, “moufflet.”

Light, circular and honeycombed inside, the original muffins consisted of milk, flour, yeast and salt. Cooked on a bakestone placed on or near a fire, they were the precursor to what Americans would call “English muffins.”

During the 19th century these spongy pastries peaked in popularity. They became so beloved that muffin sellers would stroll the streets of London, ringing bells at teatime, feverishly peddling their freshly baked goods.

Around this same time Americans began crafting their own recipes for muffins. Unlike the European versions, which contained yeast, theirs were leavened with baking powder or soda and possessed a coarser texture.

The differences didn’t end here. While English muffins were cooked in individual, bottomless rings on top of a griddle, these new muffins were baked in tins inside the oven.
The latter often contained moderate amounts of fat, egg and sugar while the former had none. Additionally, the American spinoff could be either sweet or savory. Some even contained dried fruits, nuts, grated vegetables or fresh berries.

Although these muffins differed greatly from their English forebearers, they remained fairly grainy, dry and less sweet than cake. Unlike modern, store-bought offerings, they didn’t bring to mind unfrosted cupcakes.

While the texture and taste may have changed over the years, how to make a perfect American-style muffin has stayed the same.

First and foremost, don’t over-mix the ingredients. In this rare instance a lumpy batter is a good batter, one that will produce light, evenly raised muffins. For best results, fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just blended.

To achieve a consistent shape, use an ice cream scoop to portion out the batter. Fill each muffin cup two-thirds to three-quarters full. The baking batter will then rise gently over the top of each cup to form a domed-shaped crust.

Should you spoon out too little batter, the muffin may rise too high and too quickly. A muffin such as this will eventually collapse at its center. Dole out too much and the batter may overflow from the muffin cup and never rise completely.

For even baking, place the muffin pan on the center rack of a preheated oven. If baking more than batch at once, rotate the pans from back to front and bottom to top about halfway through the baking time.

To avoid soggy muffins, remove them from their baking pans before cooling completely. The same holds true for cooling English muffins.

Because muffins generally contain little fat, they tend to go stale quickly and are best eaten within a few hours of baking. To prolong their shelf life by a day, add more butter or oil to the recipe.

To create airy English muffins, a few basic rules apply. For the best muffin shape, cook the dough in greased English muffin or egg poaching rings. If you cannot easily locate these rings, substitute them with smooth, circular, three-inch wide cookie cutters or emptied and washed tuna cans with the tops and bottoms removed.

Place the muffin rings on a lightly oiled griddle and cook the muffins until lightly brown on the bottom, about five minutes. Flip them over and cook the other side until golden brown, roughly another five minutes.

Split the steaming hot muffins open with a fork or your fingers. Toast them until crisp and golden. Serve hot with a dab of butter and orange marmalade or strawberry jam.

Whether cooking an authentic English muffin or baking an Americanized version, homemade muffins are one of the simplest, most delectable offerings to come out of the kitchen.

Red Currant Muffins
Makes 16 to 18 standard size muffins

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
¾ cup milk
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh red currants, washed and dried

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease muffin tins.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder and then make a well in the center of the ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar and butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.

Fold in the currants and spoon the mixture into the greased muffin tins or ungreased silicone muffin cups, filling about 2/3 to ¾ of each muffin cup. (If using silicone muffin cups, these should be placed on an ungreased cookie sheet before being inserted into the oven.) Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.

© 2010, Kathy Hunt. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.