Muffin Magic!

Even if the thermometer says 50 degrees, it's still only January.  Time for soup and bread.  As I started the beans for a pot of delicious chili, I decided to experiment with a muffin recipe that I had been wanting to try. These muffins had their origin in Vermont, in the test kitchens of King Arthur Flour Company. These people have been making and baking since 1790 and they have some extremely talented bakers.  I love all of their products.

I came across this recipe last fall on the King Arthur web site.  http://www.kingarthurflour.com  I’ve made it a number of times and it is fabulous!  But probably not what I would want with chili so my brain has been running through this idea of taking the basis of this recipe and making it savory.  First here is the recipe from King Arthur.  I only made one minor change to this recipe when I made it and that was, I used ground ginger instead of cinnamon... it just sounded better to me. You will not believe how delicious these muffins are and really, you would never know they had tomato juice in them.

Whole-Grain Vegan Cranberry-Nut Muffins   
Muffins without eggs, milk, or butter — what's the secret? Tomato juice, which adds the necessary acidity for leavening; nice, moist texture, and gorgeous burnt-orange color to these cranberry-nut muffins. And don't worry; they don't taste like tomatoes!


    2 1/4 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
    1 cup brown sugar
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon  (I used ground ginger)
    1 cup dried cranberries
    1/2 cup diced walnuts or pecans, optional
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    1 1/2 cups tomato juice or blended vegetable juice (e.g., V8)

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease and flour the wells of a muffin pan, or line the pan with paper liners, and grease the liners.
2) Whisk together all the dry ingredients, including the cranberries and nuts.
3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, vegetable oil, and tomato juice.
4) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; don't over-mix, stir just until everything is moistened.
5) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each nearly full.
6) Sprinkle the tops with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired.
7) Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, until they've domed nicely and they're lightly browned around the edges.
8) Remove the muffins from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Now here is the recipe for my Savory Dinner Muffins using the genius, tomato-acid leavening concept.  The corn gives them a rustic appearance, only enhanced by a bowl of chili.  Give them a try.

Savory Dinner Muffins
 2 cups of unbleached or white whole wheat flour (or 1/2 and 1/2 )
1/2 cup of medium ground corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon dried herbs (I used an herbes de Provence blend)
1 cup frozen corn (or use your imagination - I can’t wait to try chopped olives, sundried tomatoes, green peppers, sharp cheddar or asiago cheese or a combination of these - just make sure you are adding about 1 cup total for 12 muffins) 
1/3 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
1 1/2 cups tomato juice or blended vegetable juice

Follow the same mixing directions and put into the muffin cups.  Fill those cups right up to the top.  This makes 12 beautiful muffins.  I sprinkled the tops with a little coarse salt and some more of the herb blend.  The baking took just a little longer because I had frozen corn in the mix.  They were done in about 21 minutes.  (You know how to test these little quick breads for doneness don't you?  Just tap on the top with your finger - if they seem spongy, they aren't done - if they are firm to the touch good to go.)
At around 10 minutes the smell of the herbs was mouth watering and I could hardly wait to try one.  As soon as they came out of the oven, I sampled one immediately.  These don’t taste overwhelmingly like tomato either, and they are fabulous, just like the sweet cranberry version.

Until next time...