Moist and Soft Blueberry Muffins 蓝莓松饼

I love blueberries but it is not an ingredient that I would use often. This is because blueberries are rather pricey here. It just doesn't make sense to spend so much and get so little out of it. I normally use other fruits that are easily available here and equally tasty like bananas and apples as my raw ingredient to make muffins. But I was in luck today, blueberries was sold at a discount. I just have to buy, I couldn't help myself.

The secret in making a moist and fluffy muffin is simple - prevent gluten from activating. In order to do this, use buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. I personally prefer yogurt as it is the healthiest. Try to mix as little as possible. Don't feel compelled to make your muffin batter lump-less as it is not necessary at all. If your batter is smooth, most likely you have over-mixed.

Moist and Soft Blueberry Muffins 蓝莓松饼

Ingredients

Makes 7 large muffins

Dry Mix

1 1/2 cup plain flour (200g)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh blueberries (170g)

Wet Mix

1 large egg
1/3 cup sugar (65g)
1/3 cup butter (65g), at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk/yogurt (120ml)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Instruction

1. Preheat oven to 200C.

2. Sieve dry ingredients (dry mix) together into a bowl.

3. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, buttermilk and vanilla extract gradually into the mixture and whisk until well combined.

4. Pour wet mixture into flour combination. Using a spatula, gently fold in flour and blueberries. It is essential not to over-mix (about 10 times in circular motion from down to up is about enough). It is fine if it is still a little lumpy.

5. Line muffin tins and fill the cups to the brim. Bake muffins in oven for 8 minutes at 200C before lowering the heat to 170C. Bake for another 10-13 mins. Test with a toothpick. If there is still residue sticking, bake for another 5 minutes.

6. Remove and cool on cooling rack.