Muffin Making and Baking Tips 101

You will be surprised to know how by following some small steps you will be able to bake bakery style perfect muffins every time. Let’s read:

Why do we need to sift the flour?

A flour sifter is a cup like gadget attached with a fine strainer and a handle. When we sift any dry product like flour, the strainer allows only the lighter flour to pass into the bowl thus blocking any lumps. Hence when we are mixing the dry products together like flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda it gets mixed easily, evenly and quickly. This makes our second step easier when we will be adding all the dry products to the wet products which are egg, sugar, butter. This also ensures that we are not over-mixing the batter which is very important while baking muffins. Why? Read on.

Why shouldn’t we over-mix the Muffin batter?

Air is an important component for making the muffins light and airy. When we start over mixing the batter it incorporates too much air in it which leads to Gluten formation. Gluten is not good for muffins as it makes it dense and gummy. Hence the muffins will start rising but then they will start deflating. 

I recommend going for the careless approach. Do not try to make an even batter. I always use a spatula for mixing the dry goods with the wet ones and once it looks a little mixed up I start transferring it to the greased muffin cups. Do not worry about the lumps, they are good. Also do not leave the batter outside for too long. If you are not planning to bake straightaway do not mix the dry and wet products. 

A new baker is always fascinated with the idea of finding a perfectly baked good in the oven. This can tempt you to open the oven door before time to check on the baked good. Let’s read why this should not be done.

Why not open the Oven door before time?

This is also an important step; remember every time you open the door the inside temperature drops so resist the urge to open the door before the given baking time. If the recipe calls for 15-18 minutes, open the door only after 15 minutes. Check and continue to bake if necessary. If you have a light inside your oven keep it on. It helps to peek.

Hope these tips help. Happy Baking!


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