Sourdough Sharing - Muffins

October is the time of year I finish putting the yard and garden to bed and to finish making juice, jam and other preserves.  I then travel to Alberta and Saskatchewan for several weeks visiting relatives and friends before winter hits with a vengeance.  So this month, I am linking to a previously blogged recipe.

This month's sourdough challenge is muffins and quick breads.  I have a preference for muffins as you can freeze a batch and then just take out one or two as needed.

I have tried several muffin recipes but always come back to this Bran Muffin recipe.  It is moist and tasty - I always loved bran muffins with molasses as an ingredient and this is my all time favorite recipe.

 

The recipe calls for raisins and nuts but I sometimes add chopped dates instead of the raisins and nuts.  I have also used dried cranberries or dehydrated cherries instead of the raisins and I have substituted sunflower seeds instead of nuts.

 

 

I hope everyone enjoys this month's offering of muffins and quick bread in the links below. 

 

 

 





Blackberry Peach Muffins

I found a recipe for Blackberry Peach Muffins  and wanted to try it ever since we had fresh peaches, blackberries and cream for dessert this summer.  Peaches and blackberries taste awesome together!

I didn't get the muffins made while I had fresh fruit available but decided to try them with fruit I froze this summer.  I had read on the internet that you can freeze peaches whole - just pick ripe, unblemished ones and pop them in freezer bags.  To use, take them out and when they are still frozen but a bit soft, place them  under running water and you can peel them very easily.  I have been eating some of the peaches, semi-frozen and they are very nice.  The texture isn't the same as raw but they are not mush either.

After I read the recipe in the blog, I found the original blogger made several goofs.  She mentioned adding egg but didn't have it in the list of ingredients.  So I checked out her original recipe (Apple Blackberry Muffins) and the current one and tried to correct the ingredients.

Ingredients
1 c peaches, peeled and cut into chunks (about 1 to 2 peaches)
1 c blackberries
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 c flour (I needed almost 2 1/4 c) (I would try 1 3/4 c next time)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 c milk (I would try 1/2 c next time)
1/3 c oil  (I would try 1/4 c next time)

 

Peel and chop peaches.

 

 

Add blackberries.  The original recipe said to mix sugar, cinnamon and fruit together.  I did but wouldn't do it that way again.  I found that the peaches got too mushy - maybe because they were originally frozen not fresh.  Next time, I would mix all the dry ingredients together and stir in the fruit.

 

Mix rest of dry ingredients with the fruit.

 

Stir together egg, milk and oil.  Add to rest of ingredients and mix only until combined.  The less you stir muffins the better they are.  If you mix them too much, they become tough.  I had to add almost 1/4 cup more flour to the recipe.  Next time, I would add less milk instead. 

 

The original recipe said to fill 12 greased muffin tins 2/3 full.  I had enough extra batter to fill 2 small Pyrex bowls as well. 

 

Cook at 375°F for 25-30 minutes.  The muffins were tasty but you couldn't see many peach chunks.  I would cut the peaches larger next time and mix them with the dry ingredients instead of the sugar.  I would also add less milk so not to toughen the muffins by the addition of the extra flour.

 

 

 



Sourdough Bran Muffins

Recipe taken from old Robin Hood pamphlet on Sherwood (RH version of sourdough)
These muffins are tasty and moist.

Ingredients
1 1/4 c flour
1 cup natural bran
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup sourdough
2 Tbsp molasses
1 cup milk
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Combine dry ingredients and stir well to blend.

Cream together butter, sugar and egg.

Add sourdough and molasses and mix thoroughly.  *A trick I use for molasses and/or sourdough is to dip the spoon or cup in oil before measuring them.  They will slip right off the spoon or slide out of the cup.

Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk, stirring just enough to mix.  Muffins have a tendency to get tough if you stir them too much.  Stir in raisins and nuts.

Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full.  I filled mine to the top to use all the batter.

Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

 Makes one dozen muffins.

Sometimes I add 1 cup chopped dates instead of the raisins and nuts, or I may use dried cranberries.  I have also used 1/2 cup sunflower seeds instead of nuts.