Muffins make for the most delicious, sweet breakfast options, and since long lines at the bakery can be a put-off, many often try to make muffins at home. That said, achieving the perfect bakery-style sky-high muffin with a domed top continues to be a challenge for a lot of people–even seasoned home bakers. Thankfully, certain tried-and-tested hacks and tips can help individuals whip up the perfect bakery-style muffins at home.
Tips for homemade bakery-style muffins
Avoid overcrowding the tray
This remains one of the biggest and perhaps the most well-kept secrets to making the perfect bakery-style muffins. Instead of filling every cup in a muffin pan, only fill half. For instance, in a 12-cup muffin pan, only fill up six muffin cups. This will give every muffin space to rise properly without running into its neighbors, achieving the perfect round top.
Use a kitchen scale
Getting the measurements right is essential for achieving bakery-style muffins at home. For this, use a kitchen scale to get precise measurements. Cup measures will work for those who do not have a kitchen scale on hand.
Don’t overmix the dough
One of the reasons people end up with chewy or dense muffins is that they overmix the batter. This results in the activation of gluten formation in the batter. Mix the batter to make soft, tender, bakery-style muffins until just combined.
Coat any mix-ins with flour
When adding mix-ins like raisins, blueberries, chocolate chips, etc., always coat them in flour before adding them in. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
Grease the top of the pan
Don’t forget to spray the tops of the muffin pan, as the muffins will spill out to form a dome shape. Skipping this step can result in muffins sticking to the pan, making them difficult to remove.
Rest the batter overnight
Always let the batter rest for a while before baking. This trick works for every muffin recipe that uses double-acting baking powder as a leavening agent.
Allow the batter to chill overnight in the refrigerator, or keep it for an hour at room temperature. During this time, the starch in the flour will absorb more moisture, giving the muffins a softer texture. This will also help thicken the muffin batter without drying it out, making nice, round muffin tops without a cakey or crumbly texture.During this stage, it is important to keep some things in mind.
- Cover the batter and chill it in the fridge. There is no need to bring it back to room temperature before baking.
- Rest the batter in one bowl instead of portioning it out in the muffin tray, as it can dry out the batter.
Note: Add the fruit mixture to the batter just before baking when making muffins with blueberries, strawberries, or bananas. Adding it in too early can cause the fruit to bleed juices into the batter, making it too liquidy.
Know how to use baking powder
Before starting the dough-making process, always start by checking the baking powder. There are two aspects to watch out for here.
- Activity
To check if the baking powder is still active, take about half a teaspoon of baking powder in a bowl and add hot water. If it bubbles vigorously, it is still active and good to use. If it doesn’t, it is time to purchase a new pack of baking powder. - Composition
Always use a double-acting baking powder. Aluminum-free baking powders mainly react with liquid and not with heat. As a result, they end up reacting more quickly to the batter. If one uses an aluminum-free baking powder instead of a double-acting baking powder, it is recommended to bake the muffins immediately.
Use a big scoop
It is common practice to fill up muffin pans only two-thirds full. To achieve the perfect round muffin top, use a larger scoop. The batter should rise slightly above the edge of the pan, leaning toward being overfilled to achieve that bakery-style appearance.
Try high to low baking temperatures
Instead of baking the muffins at the same temperature throughout, start the process at a higher temperature, around 400℉ for the first five minutes, then turn it down to the standard 350℉ for the rest of the bake time. This baking method makes the leavening agents act quicker, resulting in a taller muffin.
Perfect homemade muffin recipe
One needs all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk, and oil—just a tablespoon—to make muffins.
In a medium-sized bowl, start by mixing the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy in a separate bowl. Then, slowly add in the eggs, vanilla, and oil.
Add a third of the dry ingredients to the wet mix and mix it on low until combined. Then, add half of the buttermilk. Repeat the process until all the flour and buttermilk are mixed in. Do not overmix the batter.
This simple batter can add nuts and fruits of one’s choice, such as blueberries, raspberries, cherries, apples, pears, strawberries, bananas, almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Mix the add-ins, and bake at 375°F for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a center muffin comes out clean.