(Very Wonderful) Blueberry Muffins
I think these are great served warm, on a chilly day or, once they've cooled down, as an addition to any lunchbox or picnic. I've tried making them with raspberries, blackberries, cranberries and strawberries, as well as blueberries, and they are all equally succesful and delicious! *If you can't find buttermilk, you can use 100ml (3.5 fl oz) of natural yoghurt mixed with 200ml (6.5 fl oz) of milk. Apparently, baking powder can sometimes cause problems with recipes if you try to 'double-up' on the ingredients, so if you need extra muffins - say for a party - make two lots from scratch.
325g (11oz) plain flour
2 tsps of baking powder
half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
185g (6oz) unrefined caster sugar
300ml (10 fl oz) buttermilk*
2 eggs, lightly beaten (I used large ones)
1 tsp vanilla essence
125g (4oz) unsalted butter, melted
200g (6.5oz) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not defrost first, if frozen)
2tbsp demerara sugar
- Heat the oven to 190 degrees celsius (Gas Mark 4). Grease a 12-case muffin tin or line with paper cases.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and a pinch of salt into a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla essence and melted butter together. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Don't over-mix; the batter should not be smooth. Fold through the berries.
- Fill the cups/paper cases two-thirds full and sprinkle the tops with demerara sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
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