Saturday, January 16, 2010

Master Muffin Mix

We LOVE muffins! Whether it is blueberry muffins for breakfast, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins on Sunday night, or almond poppy seed muffins with a pot of soup - muffins are always a favorite here.

My husband grew up with all-bran muffins a Saturday night tradition. I've held my family's tradition of pizza on Saturday evenings, but muffins still rank high at our house!

Last year I found a recipe for a master muffin mix. (I wish I remembered where to give the credit.) I loved the idea of mixing up the dry ingredients for a quick muffin mix.

But the recipe only included one variation, almond poppy seed. I was sure there were many more ways to use this mix recipe. Since then I've made dozens of variations of this recipe. Not one has been a flop. I've been wanting to share this recipe with you but keep finding new ways to use the mix. Finally I decided that I'll never run out of variation ideas, and I am just going to share the recipe! Maybe you all can help me find other variations!

Directions:
Mix up a batch of the master muffin mix.

6 cup whole wheat flour
6 cup white flour
2 cup sugar
4 T baking powder
3 tsp salt

Store your master mix in an air tight container.

When you want to make muffins, choose one of the liquid ingredient options.

Option #1
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Option #2
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 cup milk or buttermilk

Option #3
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup yogurt

Option #4
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk

Next choose the additional ingredients you desire. The sky's the limit but here is a few variations to get you started.

Almond Poppy Seed
2 tsp almond flavoring
2 T poppy seed
1/3 cup chopped or sliced almonds (optional)

Cheese Onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Berry
1 cup blueberry or strawberry, fresh or frozen
2 tsp grated lemon rind, optional

Cinnamon Apple
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped apple

Breakfast
3 slices chopped bacon
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Banana Nut
1 large banana, mashed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Chocolate
3 T cocoa
1/3 cup additional sugar
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine: First mix the liquid ingredients. Then stir in 2 3/4 cup of the dry master mix and the additional ingredients. Combine until just barely moistened.

Bake: Spoon batter into muffin pan. Makes 12 large muffins or 18 smaller muffins. Baking time will vary depending on variation chosen. Bake at 350 or 375 for 15 minutes. Check to see if additional baking time is needed. Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to sit for a few minutes before removing from muffin pan.


Notes:
These muffins are not very sweet. We prefer our muffins to be more like bread then a cupcake but, if you prefer, you can add more sugar to the master mix.

You may choose to use only whole wheat flour, or only white.

If you want to make one of these muffins but don't have a desire to mix up an entire batch of dry muffin mix, for 2 3/4 cup of mix use 2 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/3 tsp salt.

I have a few other variations, but they don't perfectly fit this formula, and this is getting long enough, so I'll save it for later!

Really, it doesn't sound like a huge time savings to mix up a little flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Maybe it is all in my head. All I know is when I'm laying in bed considering what to make for breakfast, my family is much more likely to enjoy some hot muffins if this muffin mix is in my cupboard!

27 comments :

  1. Thanks Gina,

    I love making muffins and this sounds great. We have a womens breakfast coming up at church and I will try several kinds for that.

    Carlene

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  2. I've printed the recipe and am ready to give it a try! Thank you for sharing :)

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  3. I can't wait to try this Gina...and I'd love to see more of your variations.

    Your muffins looks lovely, something I usually struggle with. And as far as time saving...I'm with you on the fact that we will likely have muffins more readily if I have a mix like this on hand. The convenience just is a big help.

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  4. Your muffins do look great! Mine never turn out nice and big like those. Are the ones you have pictured the chocolate ones? Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Thank you - I am so excited about this. I am a Mennonite Momma of seven with one on the way. We use a lot of muffins too and this will be great.Sj
    www.babyhomepages.net/tenlittleinions

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  6. Hi
    I made a batch this morning and they were great! Can you use fresh ground whole wheat flour and do they freeze well?
    Thanks for all the great ideas,
    Jenna

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  7. Jenna - I use freshly ground whole wheat flour. As far as freezing the muffins - I've never had them last long enough to find out! We can easily clean up a dozen at one sitting and if I make two dozen, we eat the leftovers for the next breakfast. The children like to eat them in a bowl with milk poured over.
    Gina

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    Replies
    1. Hello. I'm curious what would happen if you used all fresh ground flour and no store bought white flour?? Thanks. :)

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  8. Well, I guess I will just have to freeze some and let you know :). Thanks for the help and another great recipe!!! Jenna
    p.s. ours went quick too :). Oh one more thing, do you store the master mix in the fridge or pantry? I know fresh ground wheat can get rancid so I was just wondering...

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  9. Jenna-
    I've stored the mix in both the pantry shelf and the fridge. If using store bought flour, the pantry should be fine. Like you said, freshly ground flour can become rancid. In the summer I tried to find room in the fridge but otherwise I haven't had a problem with it. But maybe that is because it doesn't last long here!
    Gina

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  10. Dear Gina,

    Thank you for sharing your warm Christian heart through Home Joys! This master muffin mix recipe is terrific. I made it with all freshly ground whole wheat flour (6 cups organic hard white wheat and 6 cups organic soft white wheat). Utilizing a spring loaded ice cream scoop to "spoon" the batter makes quick the task of muffin pan filling. Freezing both the master mix and any leftover muffins works great.

    Alleluia

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  11. Hello Gina,

    My wife and I are middle-aged deists living in central Virginia. Last week we took our first foray into pressure-canning (successful). Now we are focused upon filling various canning jars with dry-goods to be vacuumed-sealed.

    I sought-out a basic mix for an array of muffins and was pleased to discover exactly what I was looking for at your very nice Home Joys site.

    Thank-you for taking the time to share your findings on this matter with others.

    I look forward to trying your very-well organized recipes and will let you know of any of my discoveries and/or creativity in that regard.

    Best wishes from a couple who haunts Mr. Jefferson's stomping grounds.

    Maria and Tom
    tfbva@aol.com

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  12. I have seen a muffin recipe you might like. It's in the Tightwad Gazette. She has a few variation ideas that can lend to more of your own ideas. You should be able to find this book in the library. She has a few books. I'm not sure which one it's in. I have the book that is a compilation of all of them(it's in storage, or I could give you more information).

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  13. Thank you so much for posting this! I used it to make a ton of muffins for the freezer. I made your blueberry crumb muffins, pumpkin chocolate chip, PB&J and breakfast (bacon) muffins. They were all so good and using the mix made it so easy. I froze them to eat when we want and reheated them today and they were still wonderful. Thank you so much for this great recipe that is so versatile.

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  14. Thank you for this recipe -- it's just what I was looking for (and now I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of your blog!) Today we made Cranberry Orange Muffins and the house smells just like Christmas-time! (Add 1 cup cranberries - I had a bag in the freezer, 1/3 c. additional sugar, and sub. orange juice for 1/2 of the milk or other liquid. Orange zest would be great too.) :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Keri-Ann-
      I've never tried it - but give it a try!

      Thanks for the muffin suggestion. They sound great!
      Gina

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  15. Can all 12 cups flour be just one kind or does it have to be half n half to turn out?

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    Replies
    1. You can use all white flour. I'm not sure if all whole wheat flour would work as well, but you can try it and find out! It may be just drier.
      Gina

      Delete
  16. Thank you so much for sharing this master muffin mix! I made 2 batches of pumpkin muffins today using Option 3 then 1. Both were delicious! How long should muffins last when stored at room temp? Fridge?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Muffins are best immediately after baking but you can put them in an air-tight container and enjoy them the next day. Do not refrigerate because it will dry them out. You may freeze them.
      Gina

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  17. Loved the muffin mix! Thanks!! I cannot describe the joy I feel when I encounter beautiful blogs like yours and so many other Christian women - even though they are from many different churches, they are really good, valiant, pure hearted women. I am a Mormon and I am truly grateful for the wonderful family you are raising in this tough world. May the Lord bless you.

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  18. I found a similar recipe w/ 4 or 5 variations on superhealthykids.com but I am very happy about finding all of your variations. Looks awesome!!!

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  19. Do you know if you can substitute almond milk for the regular milk?

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    Replies
    1. I never tried almond milk but I'm sure it would work just fine.
      Gina

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  20. I love these muffins. They bake up so nice and tall. Lately I've been making them with my sourdough discard. 1.5 c whole wheat flour, 1/3 c sugar, 2 t baking powder, 1/3 t salt, 1 c starter, 2 eggs, 1/2 c milk, 1/4 c oil, 1/4 c applesauce. Mix ins as desired. They're great!

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  21. Thanks - am having fun making a peanut butter, chocolate, and banana version!

    If you want to alter the sugar - does anyone know - do you just add more or less, or do you substitute flour for sugar or vice versa?

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