How do I make muffins that rise properly?

The muffin method — wet into dry, barely mixed — and why over-mixing produces tunnels and tough tops.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 40 min
Read: 2 min

Short answer

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then combine with as few strokes as possible. A lumpy batter is correct; a smooth one means over-mixing, which gives tough muffins with tunnels through them.

Muffins use a different method from cakes. Where cakes are creamed and beaten, muffins are barely combined, because their raising is chemical and any gluten development makes them tough.

What you'll need

Muffin tin and cases
Two bowls
Ice cream scoop (optional)

Step by step

Preheat the oven properly and get it hot.190-200°C. Muffins rely on a burst of initial heat for their dome. A cool oven gives flat muffins.
Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl.Flour, raising agent, sugar, salt, spices. Whisk them together so the raising agent is evenly distributed.
Combine all the wet ingredients in another.Eggs, milk or buttermilk, melted butter or oil, vanilla. Mix them thoroughly at this stage — this is where mixing is safe.
Pour wet into dry and fold with as few strokes as possible.Ten or twelve folds. Stop while lumps remain. This is the whole technique and it is counter-intuitive.
Fold in additions with the last couple of strokes.Berries, chocolate, nuts. Tossing them in a spoonful of the dry mix first stops them sinking.
Fill the cases nearly full.About three-quarters to the top. Underfilled cases give small flat muffins rather than domed ones.
Bake immediately.Chemical raising agents start working on contact with liquid. Batter left standing loses much of its lift.
Check with a skewer and cool briefly in the tin.Five minutes in the tin, then onto a rack. Left in the tin they steam and the bases go soft.

Tips

Buttermilk or yoghurt gives a more tender crumb and reacts with bicarbonate of soda for extra lift.
For a high dome, start at 220°C for the first five minutes then drop to 190°C. The initial blast forces the rise.
Muffins are best on the day. They freeze well individually and reheat in a low oven or microwave.

Common mistakes

Mixing the batter smooth — It develops gluten, which gives tough muffins with tunnels and peaked tops. A lumpy batter is correct.
Letting the batter stand before baking — The raising agent begins reacting immediately. Delayed baking loses much of the lift.
Underfilling the cases — Muffins need a full case to dome. Three-quarters full is the minimum for a proper shape.

Questions people ask

Why are my muffins tough with holes in them?

Over-mixing. It develops gluten, which produces a tough crumb and tunnels. Fold wet into dry with ten or twelve strokes and stop while lumps remain.

How do I get a good dome on muffins?

Fill the cases nearly full, get the oven properly hot, and consider starting at 220°C for five minutes before dropping to 190°C.