Published March 19, 1992|Updated Oct. 11, 2005
There's nothing magic about sitting down to a hot breakfast. Posture and temperature aren't indicators of either goodness or nutrition.
Because so many of us eat on the fly and want portable food for the car or the bus stop, we have to find or make a breakfast food that travels well. That means something with few crumbs, no dribbles and edible with one hand.
In other words, muffins.
Most people love muffins but are familiar only with the store-bought variety. What a shame. Homemade muffins are less crumbly and cakey than the commercial variety. And when you bake them, you control the sugar, fat and size. Controlling your appetite is something else.
Muffins are delicious as well as nutritious. Add nuts, cheese, dried or fresh fruit and cereal flakes, and you can pack a wallop of goodness into a serving. Muffins are good 'round the clock, too. They make a good snack any time of day. With a piece of cheese and piece of fruit, you have a good light lunch.
Quick and simple to prepare, they are best eaten fresh and hot, straight from the oven. You say you don't have time to fuss in the morning? The food police won't arrest you if you take shortcuts. Here are some alternative ways to have your muffin and eat it, too.
Fast. Mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls the night before and refrigerate the wet ones. All you have to do in the morning is turn on the oven, combine the two mixtures, and spoon out the batter into a muffin tin.
Faster. For super-easy preparation, make a refrigerator muffin with ready-to-bake batter that can sit for three weeks in the refrigerator. Most muffins bake in about 20 minutes, just about the time it takes to shower, shave and do your hair.
Fastest. For the really tight schedule, there's even a muffin version that bakes in the microwave in its own paper cup, and you can make one at a time.
Bake ahead and freeze _ A good time to bake is after supper before the kitchen gets a cleanup. Put together a recipe and clean all the dishes while the goodies bake. It will seem easier that way. Remove them from the freezer as needed and pop into the toaster oven.
Muffin batter doesn't take to leisurely attention. Once the wet ingredients are added to the dry ones, the batter should be mixed quickly, lightly and only until the mixture is evenly moistened. Home economics teachers used to call this procedure "the muffin method," and it's often used for other quick breads and simple cakes. If you overmix, you'll get leaden muffins.
Take care not to overbake them or they'll get dry and hard. Muffins start to pull away from the sides of the cups when done. Use a toothpick or cake tester to test for doneness. (It'll come out clean when muffin is done).
To save on calories, use a vegetable-oil spray to grease muffin tins. To save on time and clean-up, always make a double batch and freeze the extras.
There's one hitch that is frustrating to home cooks, and that's pan size. Recipes and pan sizes don't always match, and that throws off baking time and yield. A traditional muffin pan cup measures 4 ounces. Newer pans measure 5 or 6 ounces. Tiny pans yield two mini-muffins per average solo one. You just have to watch the time and temperature if you play around with size.
To make the mega-sized muffins such as the ones that muffin shops make, you need a mega-size pan. But who needs to store yet another piece of equipment? Instead, you can use individual standard Pyrex custard cups. Muffins will be triple sized and knobby topped.
If you want to make monster muffins of commercial size, remember that not every batter is adaptable and not just any old batter can be substituted. The batter must be on the dry side because you heap it to the tops of custard cups. As the muffins bake, they peak over the top and form a high golden crust. A loose batter will flow and form a mushroom-like top.
Remember that eating a monster muffin is the equivalent of two _ and sometimes three _ smaller home-baked ones.
FAQs
"They can be packed with added sugar and low in fiber, sending your blood sugar levels on a roller coaster before you even get to work," says Charlotte Martin, MS, RDN, CSOWM, CPT. Yet, muffins can be a healthy breakfast option if you make them at home yourself.
Why is it called a morning glory muffin? ›
Well, the actual reason they are called Morning Glory Muffins is because the recipe was created by Chef Pam McKinstry who owned the Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket. But they really are a joy to eat in the morning. Your body is fasting while you sleep, which is why we call the first meal break-fast.
What are morning glory muffins made of? ›
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (71g) raisins or King Arthur Jammy Bits, your favorite flavor*
- 2 cups (227g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour.
- 1 cup (213g) light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda.
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger.
- 2 cups (198g) carrots, peeled and grated.
Cupcake recipes generally contain much higher levels of sugar and fat. This makes cupcakes sweeter, and juicier with finer crumbs. Muffins usually have fruit, nuts, and other ingredients mixed into the batter to compensate. Because of this, muffins are usually considered healthier than cupcakes.
Can you eat a muffin everyday and lose weight? ›
Muffins aren't inherently bad, but if you consume them daily in place of a balanced breakfast, they won't help you reach your weight loss goal.
Why are muffins considered breakfast? ›
A small muffin or other hot bread might have been a kind of breakfast side dish in the days of full breakfasts at home, so it could be recognized as breakfast food.
Why is muffin slang for? ›
Muffin,when used as a slang is sometimes very impolite . It can mean an attractive person,usually female,similar to sugar.It can mean a female reproductive organ. A really good bakery item-thing. This is probally the only definition for a edible muffin.
What is a muffin belly? ›
"Muffin top" is the slang term for fat accumulation around the midsection, right above the hips. Tight-fitting pants can make excess fat spill over the waistband of your pants, giving the appearance of a muffin top in your midsection. Muffin tops, like regular muffins, come from the kitchen.
Why do Americans eat muffins for breakfast? ›
But is that morning muffin really giving us the kick we think it does? Sugars, being the most straightforward form of carbs, offer a tempting promise — a rapid energy lift. This is because our body processes them at breakneck speed, giving us an exhilarating, if not fleeting, energy jolt.
How much sugar is in a morning glory muffin? ›
| Amount/Serving | %DV* | Amount/Serving |
|---|
| Total Fat 10.9g | 17% | Tot. Carb. 24.9g |
| Sat. Fat 2g | 10% | Dietary Fiber 2g |
| Trans Fat 0g | | Sugars 1g |
| Cholesterol 39.8mg | 13% | Protein 3g |
2 more rowsHow do you keep muffins from falling apart? It's gluten. See, to a baker, gluten holds the whole world together.
Where do McDonald's muffins come from? ›
He explained, "The English muffin that McDonald's uses is their own recipe. The manufacturers make it specifically for McDonald's because they are so big they can buy as much of that as they want." So, you won't be finding McDonald's brand English muffins in the store any time soon.
Why are bakery muffins so much better? ›
The best bakery-style crumb muffins start with cake flour
Cake flour is more finely ground and has less protein, which leaves the muffins with a fine, light crumb and soft texture. Using cake flour is an easy way to avoid heavy, dense muffins even if you end up stirring just a bit too much.
Are muffins better for you than donuts? ›
When it comes to calories, carbs, and sugar, there's a clear winner: doughnuts. The fried rings have 155 fewer calories, half the carbs, and 21 fewer grams of sugar than muffins. Muffins don't lose out completely, though: They have 1 g more protein than doughnuts—and half the saturated fat.
Are muffins healthier than bagels? ›
English muffins are healthier options than plain bagels, since English muffins contain less carbohydrates, sodium, calories, and sugar than bagels. Similar to whole wheat English muffins, the nutritional value of a bagel can be increased by opting for a whole wheat bagel.
How many people eat muffins for breakfast? ›
Nearly a quarter of Americans report eating more breakfast foods during the COVID-19 pandemic than they normally would (24 percent) with items such as eggs (72 percent), cereal and pancakes (both 51 percent) and bakery items such as donuts (36 percent), cinnamon rolls (34 percent) and muffins (33 percent) among the top ...
Are muffins healthier than bread? ›
Is an English muffin better for you than bread? A. English muffins are slightly healthier than bread because they include fewer calories, carbohydrates, fats, and sugar than bread. However, both have a high carbohydrate content, which can offer energy throughout the day, and many nutrients.
Can I eat a muffin before bed? ›
Having some complex carbs like oats (try a quick bowl of fruit topped oatmeal) before bed can be helpful for sleep. But any grains, cereals, muffins, or granola that has a lot of added sugar will be stimulating, making it harder to fall asleep.
What is too little for breakfast? ›
Your Breakfast Is Too Small
Harris-Pincus generally recommends aiming for a minimum of 300 calories. "That's the amount you need to get in all of your macros (protein, fat, carbohydrate)," she says. Go lower than that, and you'll be shortchanging yourself on nutrition and a satisfying amount of food.
