!: Get Started With Home Baking - Easy Muffin Recipe

Muffins may seem intimidating, but what if you made a New Year resolution to try making homemade versions of your favorite bakery goods? Baking muffins at home can help you save money, eat healthier because you control the ingredients, and provide a chance to experiment and tweak recipes to suit your situation.

When muffins are a family favorite, learning to bake them can be a good place to start adding new cooking skills (recipe follows). You can learn by doing, and you get to eat the tasty results.

Muffins are easy if you follow a few basic tips:

Make sure to mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet, then combine them at the end of mixing.. Use a spoon or spatula to fold wet and dry together, about 10 to 12 strokes. Better to have a few bits of flour showing than to mix too much and make your muffins tough. Select a muffin baking dish or tin with the right number of wells, or as close as possible. A 12-well version is common. You can use two pans if needed, side by side in the oven. Adjust oven rack to the center position to bake muffins Use paper muffin cups if you wish, or baking spray, or lightly oil the pan using a pastry brush to get into the corners. Any of these methods will make it easy to remove the baked muffins.

A basic muffin recipe can be adjusted to make lots of variations. Perhaps you are a nut lover. You can add nuts, or a combination of nuts. Or substitute another dried fruit for raisins, like dried cherries. Or replace the nuts with peanut butter, butterscotch or chocolate chips. As you learn, you will discover the combinations you like best.

Banana Raisin Muffins

A simple muffin recipe with popular ingredients. These are tasty for breakfast, snacks or lunches.

1 c. bran cereal (such as All Bran)
1 c. milk
3 T. vegetable oil (such as canola)
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. ripe banana, mashed
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cereal and milk in a large bowl. Let stand 3 minutes. Add oil and egg. Mix well. Then add banana and raisins. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet mixture, until just mixed. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Serve warm. Makes about 12 standard size muffins.

Once you have baked a few recipes, you will be better able to evaluate each new recipe you are considering, and decide whether it is something you want to make.

There are plenty of online recipe sites and videos available to help you get comfortable before you ever go into the kitchen. Gain experience by starting with a simple recipe and those resources will help you become a more accomplished home cook.

More muffin baker tips

Use a bread basket lined with a cloth or tea towel to keep the muffins warm at the table. Set your table with bread plates in the 4.5 to 6 inch diameter range for muffins. Have plenty of soft butter, or a complementary flavor of jelly or jam to spread. Make extra muffins for gifts, office parties or cook outs. They are handy for buffet or potluck dinners, too.

Muffins are popular, and once you become an accomplished baker, you will want to serve them often. Learning to bake can be even more fun when you share the delicious results with family and friends.