The perfect brunch dish for the morning after a cake-laden birthday party is … a sweet baked delight! Well, at least according to me.
Bouchon Bakery’s blueberry muffins are a big hit. I made them in regular size. I made them in mini size for May Day brunch. And today I made them with raspberries instead of blueberries. And they’re all good.
The secret to Bouchon’s muffins is to rest the batter in the refrigerator over night. Their other secret is to coat the frozen fruit with flour so the color doesn’t bleed and so the berries stay suspended in the batter.
This time around we ran out of honey too late to go to the store to get more. So we put in the 1 tablespoon of honey we had and then substituted molasses, for a total of 3.5 tablespoons of molasses. This made the batter slightly darker and less sweet than previously. With the raspberries, it was delicious.
Blueberry Muffins
From Bouchon Bakery
Yield: 6 jumbo muffins or 12 regular sized muffins
Ingredients:
180 g frozen wild blueberries (or raspberries)
10 g (1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
86 g all-purpose flour
109 g cake flour
2.8 g (1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon) baking powder
2.8 g (1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon) baking soda
2.4 g (3/4 teaspoon) salt
96 g unsalted butter
96 g granulated sugar
40 g unsulfured blackstrap molasses
54 g clover honey
72 g eggs (we put in 2 small)
1.2 g (1/4 teaspoon) vanilla paste
57 g (1/4 cup) buttermilk
Almond Streusel (recipe follows)
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Directions:
For the batter: Toss the blueberries with the 10 grams all-purpose flour in a small bowl, and place in the freezer.
Place the remaining 86 g all-purpose flour in a medium bowl. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the salt and whisk together.
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, turn to medium-low speed, and cream the butter, warming the bowl as needed, until it is the consistency of mayonnaise.
Add the sugar and mix on medium-low speed for about 1 minute, until the mixture is fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the molasses and honey and mix on low speed for about 1 minute to incorporate.
Add the eggs and vanilla paste and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until just combined. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed for 15 seconds, or until just combined. Add half the buttermilk and mix for 15 to 30 seconds to combine. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the remaining buttermilk.
Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any dry ingredients that have settled there. Transfer the batter to a covered container and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 36 hours.
To bake the muffins: Preheat the oven to 425F. Line the muffin pan with muffin papers and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to begin to soften.
Stir the blueberries into the batter and spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups, stopping about 3/8 inch from the top (for jumbo muffins, about 140 g each). Sprinkle 30 g/3 tablespoons of the streusel on top of each muffin.
Place the pan in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 325F, and bake for 36 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
The muffins are best the day they are baked, but they can be wrapped individually in a few layers of plastic wrap or stored in a single layer in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 week.
Almond Streusel
Ingredients:
120 g all-purpose flour
120 g almond flour
120 g granulated sugar
0.6 g (1/4 teaspoon) kosher salt
120 g cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Directions:
Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk to break up any lumps.
Add the butter and toss to coat the pieces. Work the mixture with your fingertips, breaking the butter into pieces no larger than 1/8 inch and combining it with the flour mixture. Do not overwork the mixture or allow the butter to become soft; if it does, place the bowl in the refrigerator to harden the butter before continuing.
Transfer the streusel to a covered container or resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Use the streusel while it is cold.