Muffins were invented in the UK, but really became famous after moving to the United States with British immigrants. Their big journey around the world began with a small bakery called Muffin House, which was opened by the father of English muffins, Samuel Bat Thomas. He had in his hands a proven muffin recipe for years, which was sold by street vendors (muffin men) as a light snack. This recipe made Thomas, his bakery, and the muffins themselves famous. They are quickly and easily baked, they can be sweet and savoury, made from different kind of flours and with all kinds of fillings: fruits, berries, chocolate, nuts, raisins, and even poppy seeds.
Muffins were invented in the UK, but really became famous after moving to the United States with British immigrants. Their big journey around the world began with a small bakery called Muffin House, which was opened by the father of English muffins, Samuel Bat Thomas. He had in his hands a proven muffin recipe for years, which was sold by street vendors (muffin men) as a light snack. This recipe made Thomas, his bakery, and the muffins themselves famous. They are quickly and easily baked, they can be sweet and savoury, made from different kind of flours and with all kinds of fillings: fruits, berries, chocolate, nuts, raisins, and even poppy seeds.- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Makes: 12
- Difficulty: medium
- Course: pastry
- Cookware: metal or silicone muffin tray, muffin paper cases, cooling rack
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 300 g flour
- 120 g butter, softened
- 180 ml Greek yogurt
- 135 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Cooking method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 180°C. Line a muffin tray with muffin paper cases. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, sugar, lemon zest, poppy seeds.
Step 2
In a large bowl beat eggs, yogurt, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice. Add dry ingredients. Quickly but gently stir with a silicone spatula until combined. The batter should not have an even structure. It is important not to over-mix it.
Step 3
With a spoon or pastry bag, fill muffin cases two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes, until the muffins rise, are firm to the touch and until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the tray for a few minutes. Then carefully lift out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve the muffins warm.
My tips and tricks:
Here is a little secret on how to make lemon muffins even more “lemony”, so that even your neighbours can smell them on their kitchen. Before mixing the dry ingredients, crush the lemon zest with sugar in a bowl with your fingers, and then add all the dry ingredients. Just don’t be surprised if the neighbours can’t resist and drop in for breakfast. Muffins can be a delicious breakfast. Serve them warm, so they are even tastier. If you have baked muffins in advance and want to warm them up, just put the muffins in the oven for a few minutes at 150°C.
- 300 g flour
- 120 g butter, softened
- 180 ml Greek yogurt
- 135 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Line a muffin tray with muffin paper cases. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, sugar, lemon zest, poppy seeds.
- In a large bowl beat eggs, yogurt, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice. Add dry ingredients. Quickly but gently stir with a silicone spatula until combined. The batter should not have an even structure. It is important not to over-mix it.
- With a spoon or pastry bag, fill muffin cases two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes, until the muffins rise, are firm to the touch and until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the tray for a few minutes. Then carefully lift out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve the muffins warm.