Recipe by Sarah Phillips; Food Stying and Photos by Kelly Hong © 2010 Sarah Phillips CraftyBaking.com
These muffins are tender, light and cake-like, and are also gluten-free (gluten free). They bake nicely nicely into standard-sized ones filled with blueberries. I am so happy I can eat delicious muffins, again – ones that are not gummy or heavy or dry in texture. Hubby, who is not Celiac, enjoys them warm from the oven for breakfast. I use my new Sarah’s Gluten-free Mixing Method for better results.
QUICK-BREAD RECIPE HELP / GLUTEN-FREE RECIPE HELP
SARAH’SSECRETS
When beating the final batter in Step #7, under Mix the Ingredients, I define this the critical part of my new Sarah’s Gluten-free Mixing Method. The cake batter will look pretty strange before this “miracle mixing” process; it magically turns into a “real” looking fluffy cake batter after this important aerating step. If mixed properly, the funny odor from the gluten-free ingredients should pretty much disappear. The batter should not taste bitter, either.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup milk; cold from refrigerator
2 large eggs; cold from refrigerator
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon peel or 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour Blend; spoon into dry measuring cup and level to rim; or any Gluten-free flour blend
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter; cold from refrigerator
1 pint (about 2 cups) blueberries, rinsed, drained and dried
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the oven and baking pans:
1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
2. Prepare 24-cavity muffin tins: fill with paper liners OR spray the muffin pan cavities lightly with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Set aside.
Mix the ingredients:
1. In a one-cup measuring cup or a bowl with a pouring spout, beat together the milk, eggs, vanilla and lemon peel. Set aside.
2. Into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer sift together the gluten-free flour blend, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.
3. Clamp on the mixer bowl to the stand mixer, fit the mixer with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on low to combine the ingredients.
4. Cut the cold butter into tablespoon size-pieces. With the mixer on low, add the COLD butter 1 tablespoon or piece at a time at a time into the flour mixture.
Keep adding each butter-piece about 1 second apart, until all the butter has been incorporated.
Stop the mixer when the butter particles are the size of red kidney beans.
5. Unclamp the paddle attachment and set aside.
Reach into the mixer bowl and quickly rub the butter into the gluten-free flour mix in between your fingertips and thumb. Let the mixture drop back into the bowl.
Toss the flour with a fork to get as many butter and flour particles from the bottom of the mixing bowl up to the top, making sure you reach every ingredient.
Take about 30 seconds 1 minute to complete the task, making sure you do not melt or soften the butter.
6. Fit the paddle attachment back on the mixer.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the milk mixture to the flour / butter mixture at the side of the bowl.
When it has been added, stop the mixer and scrape the side and bottom of the bowl. Make sure you scrape the mixer blade.
7. Set the mixer speed to high and beat for 2 minutes until the batter is light, fluffy and aerated.
This also activates the xantham gum and after two minutes, the batter should have strands forming in it as it is beaten.
8. Unclamp the mixing bowl. Sprinkle the blueberries over the batter and with a large rubber spatula, fold them in.
Bake:
1. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tins. Fill each one almost to its rim.
2. Bake the muffins about 30 minutes, until well risen and deep golden. Gently touch their tops, and they should feel ALMOST firm. Do NOT overbake.
Food styling and photo by Sarah Phillips © Sarah Phillips
3. Cool the muffins in the pan on a wire cake rack or remove and serve warm. The muffins are delicate when hot and squish easily.
STORAGE
Keeps for 3 days, well wrapped at room temperature or keep frozen for a month or more. Can reheat, wrapped in foil, at 350 degrees F.
Food styling and photo by Sarah Phillips © Sarah Phillips
