Beginning bakers: Muffins for breakfast, brunch or dessert are a great starting point

If you find yourself reluctant to take on baking in your kitchen because you’ve heard it requires inordinate attention to detail, specialized equipment, challenging measurements and a lot of time, you might want to consider “the muffin” as your first project.

According to Williams-Sonoma’s “Muffins & Quick Breads” they are “quite literally, the easiest breads to make” and you probably already have everything you need at hand.

So what makes a muffin a muffin (and not a cupcake)? Well they do have some similarities, even beyond the fact that they’re both baked in muffin tins and feature a fat source, eggs and flour.

Previous muffin recipe: Apple-icious recipes

But while cupcakes tend to be little cakes with a smooth batter and a light, even crumb, muffins tend to have a denser texture. Generally muffins use liquid fats like oil or melted butter instead of solid fats, and overall they have less fat and sugar and a more flexible list of ingredients and mix-ins. They are also more forgiving in technique. And while it wouldn’t be a crime to spread a little cream cheese frosting on your carrot and raisin muffin, most muffins are glazed or topped with a streusel or crumble, or with nuts or seeds.

Muffins are made using the “muffin technique.” Dry ingredients are whisked up in one bowl, with wet ingredients combined in another. They are mixed together quickly to avoid adding much air to the batter and to minimize gluten formation, Additions are folded in and and the batter is spooned into tins to bake. And in most cases you can use any size tin, from mini to jumbo, for any given batter, with just a minor change in baking time. You can even up the size to a loaf pan and turn it into a quick bread. (Note: Muffins baked in silicone molds won’t brown well due to the excellent insulating capacity of the molds.)

Previous muffin recipe: Summer may be gone but Soup's On

Some tips to help make the perfect muffin: Use a paper cup or grease the tins well to prevent sticking. Measure the dry ingredients and blend them with a whisk or spoon. Mix the liquid ingredients in a second bowl and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold them in gently, just until the batter is combined. A few lumps are OK — avoid over mixing.

To prevent mix-ins from sinking to the bottom of your muffins, toss them with a little flour reserved from the recipe ingredients. Another approach is to mix them into only two-thirds of the batter, then fill the muffin cups a quarter of the way with plain batter and top them up with the batter containing the mix-ins. Don’t use more than a cup or two of a mix-in per 12 standard sized muffins, keep them an even size as much as possible, toast your nuts and avoid overly wet ingredients.

Muffins are baked at a relatively high temperature, often at 425 degrees. The higher heat allows the muffins to set up quickly, creating the characteristic rounded top that makes a muffin a muffin. Test for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick (or a thin skewer for jumbo muffins and quick breads); if it comes out clean, they’re done. Cool the muffins in the tin for a few minutes and them remove them to finish cooling on a rack to prevent “steaming.” Most muffins will keep well for two to three days at room temperature, a week or so in the fridge and several months in the freezer wrapped individually and stored in an airtight container. But be aware that streusel-topped or iced muffins aren’t good choices for freezing.

Previous muffin recipe: Stave off winter blues with warm-weather citrus

And how do you know you’ve made the perfect muffin? Look for a lovely high-domed peak, a tender, moist and even but coarse crumb with mix-ins that are uniformly distributed.

Once you’ve started looking around and tried a recipe or two, you’ll be amazed at the wide variety out there — muffins for breakfast, lunch, brunch and teatime, to accompany soups, stews and salads or just make a grab-and-go breakfast or an afternoon snack. Here are a few recipes to get you started.

For your first muffin of the day, try the Loaded Savory Breakfast Muffin. It is definitely a muffin but it's filled with sausage, eggs and cheese and even sneaks in some vegetables. This is one recipes where you won’t want to use a liner and the muffins need to be stored in the fridge from day one. But a short time in the microwave or oven restores them to warm, comforting muffins, ready for a grab-and-go breakfast or a satisfying addition to a full-scale breakfast.

For brunch there is a Cranberry Orange Muffin. This recipe's author wanted to recreate a favorite Panera muffin. The directions call for jumbo muffin pans but they’ll cook up just as well in a standard-sized tin. They are sweet and tart at the same time, with a crunchy top.

And for your afternoon’s or evening's pleasure, I give you a Cinnamon-Sugar Bourbon-Pumpkin Muffin. It is great with a cup of tea and probably with a nip of bourbon. And the warm cinnamon, toasted nut topping can be enhanced with a drizzle of bourbon icing if you wish.

So now it’s up to you. Try one of these recipes or any of the thousands of combinations out there waiting to pique your interest. Just remember to allow them to cool off enough to keep from burning your fingers or the roof of your mouth before you take that first bite.

Loaded Savory Breakfast Muffins

Source: by Christine Gallary, The Kitchen

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 ounces uncooked breakfast sausage, casings removed

3 cups baby spinach (about 3 ounces)

Cooking spray

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

2/3 cup small-dice apple

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

1. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Coat the wells of a standard 12-well muffin pan generously with cooking spray; set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl; set aside. Melt the butter and place in a medium bowl to cool to room temperature.

3. Add the buttermilk and eggs to the butter and whisk until combined. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined; some lumps are fine. Add the sausage mixture, sprinkle with the cheese and apple, and fold until just combined. Divide the batter among the muffin wells; they will be very full. Sprinkle with the chives.

4. Bake until the tops just begin to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around each muffin to loosen, then transfer to the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, or in the freezer for three months. Reheat cold or thawed muffins in a 300-degree oven for about 10 minutes before serving.

Cranberry Orange Muffins (Panera copycat)

Source: Lisa Huff, The Snappy Gourmet

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons fresh orange zest

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries divided

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a jumbo muffin pan with 6 jumbo paper liners.

2. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients including the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oil and sugar until well combined. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla.

4. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the large mixing bowl with the oil and sugar mixing after each addition.

5. Stir in the fresh orange zest and 1 cup cranberries. Spoon the muffin batter into prepared pan. Press the remaining 1/2 cup of cranberries into tops of each muffin. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the muffins.

6. Bake muffins in the middle of your oven at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes (but I'd suggest start checking on them at about 20 minutes) or until golden brown around edges and toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool slightly, then remove muffins from pan and place on wire rack to finish cooling.

Recipe notes

• If desired, toss the fresh cranberries with a little flour before adding to the batter to keep them from sinking in the batter.

• You can definitely make these muffins in any shape pan you’d like but you will need to adjust the baking time. Mini muffins would take 8-15 minutes to bake and regular size 15-20 minutes. A lot will depend on how much you fill the muffin cups. You’ll know they are done when they are golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. You would probably get about 24 mini muffins and about 12 regular size muffins with this recipe.

• Since fresh cranberries can be rather large, if you’re making mini muffins you may want to chop the cranberries first.

• Substitutions: Instead of orange zest and cranberries, you could use your favorite citrus and fruit combo.

Cinnamon-Sugar Bourbon-Pumpkin Muffins

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

3 1/3 cups sugar

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1/4 cup bourbon or water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line twenty-four 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups. In a small bowl combine 2/3 cup of the sugar, the pecans and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; set aside. In a very large bowl stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the remaining 2 2/3 cups sugar, the pumpkin, oil, eggs and bourbon. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with nut mixture.

3. Bake 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups 10 minutes. Remove; cool on wire racks. If desired, drizzle with bourbon Icing before serving.

Bourbon Icing (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon bourbon

2-3 teaspoons milk

1. In a small bowl stir together powdered sugar, bourbon and enough milk to reach a drizzling consistency.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington Food: Muffins a great starting point for beginning bakers