FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - Desserts

Dave Smith[_1_]

On 2018-04-20 1:02 PM, wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Apr 2018 10:42:12 -0400, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
> Perhaps the commercial muffin bakers add more sugar... and plain fresh
> blueerries aren't all that sweet.
>
>> I add frozen blueberries to the dry ingredients and then
>> stir in the wet ingredients and bake immediately so the blue juice
>> doesn't run into the muffin.

I use frozen blueberries for a couple reasons. We almost always have
them on hand, and they are a lot cheaper than fresh. I see no point in
paying the premium price for fresh and then cooking them.

>
> Frozen blueberries automatically run, freezing bursts their skin...
> and stirring in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients that
> already contain the frozen mushy blueberries just makes the color
> running a lot worse. I make up the batter and then sprinkle fresh
> flour coated berries on top... during baking they will distribute
> fairly evenly throughout... I do the same when adding raisins to bran
> muffins.

The flour holds any juice that works its way out of the berries. If you
work quickly, they don't have much chance to thaw and run. I end up
with white muffins with blueberries inside, not blue muffins.

> The worst thing about commercial muffins of any type is that they are
> baked in those paper liners and then they are not muffins, they are in
> fact cupcakes.

I attribute the texture to the cake like mix they use. Our corner
bakery/coffee shop makes wonderful, big dense muffins. The owner tried
parchment paper liners and had such success that she has continued. She
was concerned that it might affect the texture but it didn't.