Lemon & Yogurt Mixed Berry Muffins (small batch)

 

 

I am going to apologize upfront for my photos today. The weather outside is pants.  It is raining sideways and is very dark.  A very gloomy wet day.  Not so good for photographing anything.

I was wanting to bake a muffin to use up some mixed berries that I had picked up at the shops on Saturday.   It was just a small punnet of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries.  I had only eaten a few but did not want to have to throw any of them away. Waste not want not and all that.

 

I found this recipe in a cookbook that I have by Dorie Greenspan entitled Baking with Dorie, Sweet, Salty & Simple.   I confess this is the first recipe I have baked from this book.

I have baked loads of Dorie's recipes in the past however.  I used to belong to a baking group called Tuesdays with Dorie.  We baked recipes from two of her books, Baking with Julia and Baking Chez Moi. I had all of her cookbooks when I was in the U.K. I am slowly working at collecting them again.

 

The original recipe made 12 muffins. I just don't need 12 muffins.  I cut the recipe in half to make only 6 muffins. If you want to make more you will need to double everything.

My batter was a bit stiff. In retrospect I probably could have added a bit of milk to loosen it a bit and the muffins would have been tidier looking.  But having said that, they were still one very delicious muffin, as rough and craggy as they turned out.

 

I expect the difference comes from my using Greek Yogurt which is quite a bit thicker than regular yogurt.  They still worked however and they were still incredibly delicious.

She suggested brushing the tops of the finished muffins with warmed lemon marmalade or lemon curd, or dusting with some icing sugar.  I chose to brush mine with some warmed lemon marmalade.  It was the perfect choice and carried on the lemon flavor from the muffins themselves!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LEMON & YOGURT MIXED BERRY MUFFINS

Simple everyday baking ingredients. Dorie used only blueberry muffins. I used mix. Use whatever berries you wish. I think chopped cranberries would also be very nice, in which case I would use orange zest.

• 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
• 1 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
• the finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup +1 1/2 tsp (93g) plain yogurt, room temperature
• 1 large free range egg, room temperature
• 4 TBS (57g) butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup (145g) berries (chop larger berries into smaller bits)
• warmed marmalade to brush on top (optional)

 

Make sure you assemble all of your ingredients before you start. It is so easy to leave something out when you are making something like this.

There may only be 1/8 tsp of baking soda in these but don't leave it out. Baking soda works with the acidity of the yogurt to give you a good rise in the muffins. Also make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR THE BEST MUFFINS

Here are my hints and tips for making sure that your muffins turn out beautifully every time:

1. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. To prevent the mix from being overworked, first mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry ingredients, carefully pour in the wet ingredients, then stir the mix a couple of times to roughly combine. 

 2. Don't over mix your muffins. The most important rule of muffin making is to not over stir the mix. What you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Do not stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, and thick with a few floury streaks.

 3. Add your flavors last.  While spices should be added with all the other dry ingredients, additions like fruit and nuts should be added last. Give the batter one more light-handed stir once you've added them in just to combine.  

4. Line the pans. You can choose to either grease the muffin tin or line it with paper liners. If you choose to forgo the liners, make sure you grease the base and sides of the cups with oil spray or a little melted butter. If you're not going to eat the muffins for a while, do use paper liners as these will keep the muffins fresher for longer. 

 5. Don't overfill your pans. Aim to fill the cups ¾ full to get muffins with nice round tops and to prevent them from spilling out over the top of the cups.  Often if your tins are over filled the muffins will rise to the top and then collapse on themselves.

 6. For extra interest, add a flavorful sprinkle on top.  Once the muffin cups are all filled, you can choose to sprinkle the tops with more fruit, nuts or a crumble topping, even sanding sugar or cinnamon sugar, for even more taste and or crunch. As the muffins rise these toppings will cook into the tops of the muffin.  

7. Protect your baking pan.  If there isn't enough batter to fill all the cups, half fill the empty ones with water. This will help the muffins bake evenly and will help to protect your pan from buckling. 

8. Cooling them down. Once you remove the muffins from the oven, let them sit in their pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. This is especially important for muffins that aren't in a paper liner, as it will help them from falling apart. However, remove them after five minutes otherwise you risk them going soggy as they cool in the pan. 

9. Freeze extras for later. Muffins freeze beautifully, so if you can't enjoy them all on the day they're baked, wrap them in plastic wrap  tightly,  and put them in the freezer for later. They will keep for about 3 months and reheat wonderfully in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high from frozen. 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE LEMON & YOGURT MIXED BERRY MUFFIN

Like any muffin these are very simple to make. Mix the dry. Mix the wet. Fold together just to combine.  Don't play with the batter too much as  your results will not be as nice  if you overmix these.

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a six cup muffin tin (medium size) really well or line with paper liners.

Measure the sugar and lemon zest into a bowl. Rub together until very fragrant. Add the flour, soda, baking powder and salt and mix well together to combine.

Whisk the egg, yogurt and melted butter together to combine and then add to the dry ingredients, folding together just to combine. A few lumps and dry streaks are acceptable. Fold in the berries.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and well risen. A toothpick inserted in the center of one should come out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack and leave for five minutes. Brush with some warmed marmalade (if using) and remove from the pan completely.

Best eaten warm and on the day. They may not be the prettiest muffin but they are incredibly tasty.

 

Despite looking rather plain and homely, these are a really delicious muffin with a beautiful tender crumb and lovely lemon flavor.  The yogurt ensures that they are moist with just a tiny bit of a tang.

I really enjoyed them with the  mix of berries, but they would be excellent with just one berry as well. Do brush the tops with some warmed marmalade or even lemon curd for an extra special finish!

Some other muffin recipes which I have baked and enjoyed in The English Kitchen are:

SPECIAL K BREAKFAST MUFFINS - These are the PERFECT breakfast muffins. Quick and easy to make. Delicious. I highly recommend.  Simple and filled with fiber. You can use ordinary Special K cereal, or you can be a bit more extravagant and use one of the varieties which contain fruit.  This recipe makes half a dozen fabulous muffins. 

GINGERBREAD MUFFINS - I am a hug fan of gingerbread anything. I think gingerbread is probably one of my favorite things to bake and eat! They are moist and delicious with a lovely crumb and beautiful ginger/cinnamon flavor. The recipe makes a full batch of 12 fabulous muffins! These smell amazing. 

Yield: 6 medium muffins

Author: Marie Rayner

Lemon & Yogurt Mixed Berry Muffins (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

A plain and simple everyday muffin. You can use mixed berries or all one berry. They are delicious either way.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
• 1 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
• the finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup +1 1/2 tsp (93g) plain yogurt, room temperature
• 1 large free range egg, room temperature
• 4 TBS (57g) butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup (145g) berries (chop larger berries into smaller bits)
• warmed marmalade to brush on top (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a six cup muffin tin (medium size) really well or line with paper liners.
2. Measure the sugar and lemon zest into a bowl. Rub together until very fragrant. Add the flour, soda, baking powder and salt and mix well together to combine.
3. Whisk the egg, yogurt and melted butter together to combine and then add to the dry ingredients, folding together just to combine. A few lumps and dry streaks are acceptable. Fold in the berries.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and well risen. A toothpick inserted in the center of one should come out clean.
6. Transfer to a wire rack and leave for five minutes. Brush with some warmed marmalade (if using) and remove from the pan completely.
7. Best eaten warm and on the day. They may not be the prettiest muffin but they are incredibly tasty.

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