Blueberry muffins
Tall, tender muffins packed with juicy blueberries and a hint of lemon, with a crunchy sugar top, mixed by hand in two bowls.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 200°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- 2
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar together in a large bowl.
- 3
Beat the eggs in a jug, then whisk in the milk, melted butter, vanilla and lemon zest.
- 4
Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture so they stay spread through the batter.
- 5
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a large spoon until only just combined. The batter should look lumpy.
- 6
Fold in the blueberries with a few strokes, stopping before the batter streaks purple.
- 7
Divide the batter between the cases, filling them almost to the top.
- 8
Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the tops.
- 9
Bake until well risen and golden, and a skewer in the centre of a muffin comes out free of raw batter.
- 10
Cool in the tin, then lift the muffins out onto a wire rack.
- 11
Leave them to cool a little longer before eating, as the berries are very hot inside.
Notes
- Overmixing develops the gluten and gives tough, peaked muffins with tunnels inside. Stir only until the flour disappears.
- Use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer, without thawing, and add 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.
- They keep for 2 days in an airtight tin and freeze well for up to 3 months.
Equipment
12-hole muffin tin, Paper muffin cases, Large mixing bowl, Jug, Whisk, Large spoon, Wire rack