We are truly feeling the heat of the summer. A good way to spend a warm afternoon would be to make something for your family.  Muffins would be a good item to prepare specially if you plan to bond with your kids at home.  Read on and learn the techniques for making muffins.

Q:  My name is Jen Zalameda and I would like to commend your column for helping a lot of bakers like me.  My concern is my banana muffin.  Why did it come out too dense, dry, hard, and crumbly?  I would really appreciate it if you take the time to answer my query. 

Adoree:  Thanks for writing us, Jen.  Muffins are not the same as cupcakes in the sense that they are denser and they have a more open crumb.  You might be expecting something like a cupcake that is fluffy, soft and have a finer crumb.  This is due to the difference in the technique used for both of them.  Muffins are made using the simple mixing method of just combining both dry and wet ingredients together.  The idea is not to overwork the batter so that the muffins do not turn out tough.  Too much flour in the recipe could be one of the reasons why your muffins were dry.  Another reason might be the amount of fat in the recipe. Next time, use a recipe with a good amount of fat or dairy product like butter and milk so your muffins will not be dry; also, do not overmix the batter, just stir it until the dry ingredients are absorbed by the liquid.

Jun Jun:  That’s right, Jen.  It really is best to know what type of texture you want your muffins to be. Sometimes your recipe is really for a cupcake or miniature coffee cake and you expect something more light.  Muffins are quick breads so the crumb is a lot denser and tight. If you want it to become moist, you can do what Adoree suggested or add bits of banana to make it a bit wet and soft.  Don’t Overmix the batter. This is an important guideline that you should take into consideration when baking.  

Q: Hi there!  Can I ask about why my corn muffins spread out in the oven instead  of popping up nicely?  Thank you in advance.  (Gail Tanjuatco of Makati)

Adoree:  Hi, Gail.  Please check your oven temperature.  Muffins are baked at a  slightly higher temperature, usually 375 to 400F, for them to pop up.  Baking them at a lower temperature will cause them to spread out.

Jun Jun:  You might have placed too much of the batter in each container; don’t go over than half or 2/3 of the way so that it won’t overflow and flatten the top.  Oven temperature is also an important consideration. 

Q: Greetings Jun Jun and Adoree.  I made blueberry muffins last Sunday.  I greased the muffin pan but the muffins still stucked to the pan.  Why was that?  (Lia Valmadrid of Quezon City)

Adoree:  Lia, next time, please grease the pan generously with shortening then dust with flour.  The flour will help seal the shortening so as not to be absorbed by the batter.  Another option would be to use paper liners to ensure your muffins do not stick to the pan.

Jun Jun: The high amount of sugar in the batter and the presence of some fruit might have contributed to the batter sticking to the pan. Try to grease it with shortening (not butter) or oil, then dust it with flour to make full proof release. Muffins are usually baked in a liner, so, you can use this as an alternative. 

Q:  Hi, Adoree and Jun Jun.  My daughter and I bonded last weekend by making chocolate muffins.  The procedure was quite easy to make – just combining the dry and the liquid ingredients and then mix well.  I found the end product lumpy and grainy and what is worse, it was hard.  Is there a technique that I should have followed?  (Monica Palacio of Pasig City)

Adoree:  Monica, you are so right; muffins are so easy to make.  Next time, the liquid ingredients have to be added into the dry ingredients, not the other way around.  This is done to prevent the mixture from turning lumpy and grainy.  When mixing, just do so until the dry ingredients are absorbed by the liquid ingredients then stop.  Over-mixing will cause your muffins to turn tough.

Jun Jun:  Just a simple change in your procedure will really matter.  Follow, Adoree’s suggestion so that you get the proper texture of your muffin.

Q:  I tried making blueberry muffins with streusel topping.  I followed the recipe diligently but how come the streusel turned out oily?  Help!  (Tere Ganzon of San Juan)

Adoree:  Tere, your butter pre-melted that is why it was oily.  Next time, put the streusel in the chiller first; do not let it stand at room temperature.  Bake the muffins at least 375 degrees Fahrenheit so that the butter will not pre-melt.

Jun Jun:  There might also be too much oil or fat in your recipe. So try to look into that. You have to do the streusel topping before mixing any of the muffin batter so you can immediately put streusel as your topping.