Allow me to set the scene. It's late spring / early summer. No air conditioning. Sunday morning, say, nine o'clock. The birds have finally convinced you to rise from bed, only for you to settle into a chair downstairs. There's actually something to read in the newspaper. The whispy curls from your coffee waft into the morning air. What could make such a morning even more perfect?
Muffins.
Blueberry muffins, to be exact. The blueberries are fresh, ripe, and cheap. Some of them even have the baby blue powdery-ness to them. The tops are crispy / crunchy, the insides steamy as you eat one right after they come out of the oven.
I like food. I like it so much that I'm willing to work for it -- and that means cooking. I don't particularly enjoy cooking. If somehow fresh muffins were to magically appear, even possibly satanic muffins, I would eat with no second thought. But that's not how this world (at least my world) works.
And so I cook.
Here are last Sunday's muffins.
Recipe is below the fold -- which means click that next link.
Blueberry Muffins
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: The Muffin Man
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins
12 1/2 ounces cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Vegetable spray, for the muffin tins
Preheat oven to 380 degrees F.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg and yogurt. Add the dry ingredients reserving 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and toss with the blueberries. Stir mixture for a count of 10. Add 1 cup blueberries to mixture and stir 3 more times. Reserve the 1/2 cup of blueberries.
Using a #20 ice cream scoop, add the mixture to greased muffin pans. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of berries on top of muffins and press down lightly. Place into the oven and increase the temperature to 400 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Remove from oven and turn out, upside down on tea towel to cool completely. Serve immediately or store in airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
