This recipe is based on one from Edward Espe Brown’s Tassajara Cookbook. It’s so easy and makes the best blueberry muffins. The trick is not to over-mix the batter. Whole wheat pastry flour works... well here, as it reacts very much like all-purpose flour, but if you want a lighter muffin, you can substitute half the of the whole wheat pastry flour with all-purpose flour. Makes 12 muffins.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan.
Sift the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and lemon zest.
Beat the bananas, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter.
Fold the banana mixture into the flour ingredients, with just 10-12 quick strokes of a spatula. The batter will be lumpy and streaked with dry flour, but it is essential not to over-mix the batter for a tender muffin.
Carefully fold in ¾ of the blueberries with another 4-5 strokes. By this time the batter will mixed in but still a little uneven. If it is too smooth, you’ve over-mixed it!
Fill the muffin cups ½-⅔ full, depending on preferred size, scatter the remaining blueberries on top and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of brown sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Chef Tips
These muffins freeze really well, so if (and that’s a big “if”) you have any left over, bag and freeze ’em!
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make a substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 1 teaspoon of cream of Tartar to 1 cup of regular milk.
If you cannot find whole wheat pastry flour then substitute half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. Just swapping in whole wheat flour will result in a drier and grittier muffin.
Thank you for the buttermilk substitution can I use almond milk or must it be dairy?
Response from Cook for Your Life
We haven't tested this exact recipe with dairy-free milks, but generally this is an acceptable substitute! As long as it has the lemon juice or cream of tartar, then it should produce a similar result. Hope that helps!
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Reviews & Comments
Thank you for the buttermilk substitution can I use almond milk or must it be dairy?
Response from Cook for Your Life
We haven't tested this exact recipe with dairy-free milks, but generally this is an acceptable substitute! As long as it has the lemon juice or cream of tartar, then it should produce a similar result. Hope that helps!
Leave a Review or Comment