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Picture For Link to the Above Featured Recipe
The
name 'Muffin' either comes from the French word
'moufflet', meaning a soft bread,
or from the German word 'muffe' which is the name for a type of
cake. Although
there are two types of muffins: English and American, all the recipes on the
site are for the American-style muffins.
What 'American-style' muffins means is that
the muffins are made, not from a yeast dough like the English Muffin,
but rather they use a chemical leavener (baking powder or baking soda).
Maybe it would be better to describe them
as a
cross between a
bread and a cake. American-style muffins can be further divided into
two types: bread-like
and cake-like. Each type has its own technique for mixing the batter.
Less sugar and butter makes a bread-like muffin. A higher sugar
and butter content makes a cake-like muffin. Once you determine
which type of muffin you prefer, choosing recipes to try becomes easier. A basic muffin
batter contains flour, sugar, baking
powder/soda, eggs, a fat (liquid or solid), and milk (buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream). Often
times fruit, nuts,
chocolate, vanilla extract, spices, cornmeal, bran, oats are added to give the
muffins flavor. Sometimes a streusel topping or glaze is used
which not only adds flavor
and texture but it can transform a plain basic muffin into something special....... |
