| Product: |
Specialist Breads |
| Date: |
05/03/02 (462 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: easy to make on an open fire, interesting variation on a theme of bread.
Disadvantages: fiddly to do yourself.
I suspect most people don't reall think of the humble muffin as a bread product, but bread it is. It is very easy to make muffins, if a touch time consuming. If for any reason you want to make bread on an open fire, it is one of the best breads to make. There are now a number of themes on a variation of muffin, as they follow the same trend as the American bagel, but more on that later.
What is a muffin? Basically it's a bread roll that has been cooked in a short space of time over intensive heat. To make them at home, all you need is a basic bread recepie -strong flour, some fat, yeast, salt, sugar and water - nothing complex. I'm going to assume you can track down a bread recepie, or we could be here for some time. You follow the breadmaking process through, kneading, allowing the dough to rise, and then you do something a little different - form your muffin shapes (like a flat roll) and heat a frying pan, or, if you have one, a griddle. (Anyone else who re-enacts, a skillet on an open fire works very well.)
You want your chosen implement of cooking to be very hot, and not to have very much fat in it. The idea is to cook your muffin, flipping it over to do both sides. It takes a while to get the timing right, expect to singe a few while you learn. In a decent sized frying pan you could perhaps do three at a time, but to make a decent sized batch takes quite a while.
Effectively, its a fried bread, without too much fat.
As I said at the top, the muffin is following the way of the bagel - Sainsburys now do a muffin with cheese and black pepper, for example. I have tried these, I don't mean to again. Yes, they are cheesey and peppery, but the effect is of hot sock, and that doesn't fill me with joy. I'm a bit of a purist really, but if you are making your own muffins, there's nothing to stop you putting anything you like in them.
Eating the muffin: Shop bought muffins are best toasted - lightly
so that they go a golden brown. Tear them in half, don't cut them, if you can manage it. Always avoid the pre cut ones as they are as arid and unpleasant. Lots of butter is a must, and then whatever you like - so long as you buy plain ones you can adorne them with sweet or savoury toppings. Don't put jam on the black pepper ones, it really isn't good. If you make your own, the best time to eat them is when they come hot out of the pan. If you've got the cooking proces right, they should split easily with a little pressure from the thumb, to give you soft bread in the middle, and crusty muffin on the outside. Butter is best, but it really is up to you.
The Vikings often made their bread in this sort of way - it saves the considerable effort of building and running an oven, and you do get your bread quickly. The effect of the quick cook is often that they do not rise as bread does in the oven, so you get a somewhat heavier, more intense sort of bread. They tend to taste a touch yeasty, and are very nice. You can make them brown, white, wholemeal or whatever - in shops you are only likely to see white ones.
So, the not so humble muffin after all - an excellent, versatile bread product, ideal for light meals and snacks, and quite good fun to make yourself, if you have the patience.
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