‘Oh do you know the muffin man? The muffin man, the muffin man. Oh do you know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane?’
We grew up singing this nursery rhyme at a time when muffins in Bangalore meant something very different than what they actually are known as nowadays. A flat, stuffed, baked pastry filled with sweetened coconut and candied fruit (tutti frutti), was for some unknown reason called a muffin. This is also commonly known as Dilkhush or Dilpasand now.
Muffins in UK, called English muffins (no prizes for guessing why) are also another variety which are more like thick discs of bread that are sliced, toasted and slathered with whatever the heart demands.
But the muffins that I speak of today, are the popular American ones that resemble cup cakes and are differentiated from them by the fact that they are usually a breakfast item and not an indulgent, rich treat and hence are made mostly of wholegrain blends, less fat, oil instead of butter, have the addition of fruit and vegetables for nutrition and also contain less sugar. This is quite a loose definition and muffins do vary greatly according to personal preferences.
Speaking of which, I am always one for using less refined ingredients, less fats and of course far less sweetener.
So let us jump into this recipe of Wholegrain Carrot Muffins, just like our carrots have jumped in to delight our palates.
Oh and in case you are not sufficiently excited, let me tell you that I have also sneaked in some rum soaked Christmas fruit that has been wallowing in alcohol for longer than we have been wallowing at home due the Corona lockdown 😎
Muffins –
As I mentioned, muffins can be of infinite varieties and are mostly created in cup cake moulds to resemble their decadent lookalike cousins. So we can munch on something more nutritious while pretending that we are holding something else, if that is what it takes for some of us to eat healthier 😀 In my house however, we have no such trouble and we gladly devour anything that promises us less calories.
Another great thing about muffins is that unlike with most cakes where a careful adherence to the process is important to get the right texture, here the ingredients are dumped together and lightly mixed manually and thus simple enough even for beginners to bake with success.
Wholegrain Carrot Muffins –
Muffins usually follow a basic recipe which is quite generic and this recipe that I have put together, is the result of browsing through several online ones and coming up with a combination of what suited me best.
Ingredients –
1. Whole Wheat Flour (WWF) – 220 gm
2. Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
3. Cinnamon powder – 1 teaspoon
4. Nutmeg powder – 1 teaspoon
5. Baking powder – 2 teaspoon
6. Baking Soda – 1 teaspoon
7. Carrot grated – 1 cup
8. Rum soaked Christmas cake fruit – 100 gm (this is optional or you can use any other dry fruit)
9. Organic sugar – 1/2 cup (or any sugar)
10. Oil – 1/2 cup
11. Eggs – 2
12. Vanilla extract or essence – 1 teaspoon
Equipment needed –
A 12 muffin pan
12 cup cake liners
Method –
Prepare your pan for baking by lining the depressions with muffin liners. I do not grease my liners or my pan.
The dry ingredients 1 – 6, are to be sifted thrice and kept aside.
In a large bowl add ingredients 9 – 12 and mix well with a whisk. I usually just do it with my Silicon spatula.
Toss the carrot and Christmas fruit into the sifted flour and lightly mix to coat everything. This is done to enable an even distribution of the vegetable and fruit through the muffins and to prevent them from sinking to the base while baking.
Add the flour mix in 2 -3 batches and gently mix everything with the spatula until just combined. Just make sure that the dry and wet ingredients have mixed and there are no dry parts. Overmixing will lead to gluten development and tougher muffins.
Pre heat the oven to 180 deg c. (Time and temperature depends on individual ovens).
With the use of a spoon which is smaller than the mouth of the muffin liner, quickly drop the batter equally into the 12 cups. You can also use an ice cream scoop to drop the batter.
If you are very particular, you can weigh the batter and divide it by 12 and fill in an equal weight into each cup. This is best done by placing the pan on a weighing scale and adding equal weights of batter into each cup.
Some people even prefer piping the muffins into the liners using large nozzles.
Gently tap the loaded pan. Be careful that the liners do not tilt or slip.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted through the muffin, comes out clean.
Remove the muffins and cool them on a wire rack. You can store them with the liners or without.
They can be kept in an airtight box at room temperature for a couple of days or as per the climate of your location. You can likewise refrigerate for upto a week or even freeze for much longer. Just microwave before eating. I actually like frozen muffin ‘popsicles’ 😀
I hope you will successfully try this recipe and I would really appreciate if you leave your feedback in the Blog comments.
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