Sweet and Savory Muffin Recipes

One of the easiest, fastest breads for the home cook to make is also one of the most popular. Here we present a selection of sweet and savory muffin recipes.

Some experts attribute it to the 10th-century Welsh; others believe it comes from the German muffen, the plural of muffe, meaning “small cake.” The French point to the term moufflet, which refers to the soft texture of bread. Meanwhile, the British writer Hannah Glasse included a “muffin” recipe in her 1747 cookbook, The Art of Cookery. In all likelihood, muffins themselves evolved separately in different places as small, sweet cakes, and the names merged as cooking traditions cross-pollinated the Continent. We do know that it was traditional in Victorian England for muffins to be sold house to house from street carts. The vendors, or “muffin men,” rang bells heralding their arrival, enticing folks nearby to purchase their freshly baked goods. Although this tradition has long since faded, it lives on in the beloved children’s song “Oh, Do You Know the Muffin Man?” We also know that muffin recipes and baking techniques have naturally evolved. Original European recipes describe a small bread leavened with yeast, but as time passed, cooks began to replace yeast with chemical leaveners, whipping up easy batters instead of doughs. This transition has, no doubt, contributed to muffins’ ubiquity in home and commercial kitchens in the U.S. (Five states have even gone so far as to name an official state muffin: blueberry in Minnesota and Virginia, apple in New York, coconut in Hawaii, and corn in Massachusetts.) The muffin tin gives these treats their trademark shape of a smaller base and burgeoning, browned top. Inside, the cake remains soft and moist with a tender crumb. But yeast varieties haven’t entirely disappeared, and in fact are quite popular on these shores. Despite their moniker, “English” muffins were invented right here in the United States; Samuel Bath Thomas, a British immigrant, created those famous “nooks and crannies” in his New York City bakery. First sold in 1880, the English muffin has stood the test of time. Its British counterpart, the crumpet, a dense, hole-ridden griddle cake, is more popular in the U.K. but can also be found in markets around the U.S. Whether you’re fond of the yeast variety or sweet American-style cake muffins, these simple treats are a great way to brighten a morning. They’re also one of the easiest, fastest breads to make at home. Try our recipes, with flavors that run from hearty bran–carrot nut muffins to blueberry–oat with streusel topping, from savory bacon–scallion corn muffins to the classic British crumpet. [haven_recipe post_id=”37174″] [haven_recipe post_id=”37257″] [haven_recipe post_id=”30854″] [haven_recipe post_id=”37871″] [haven_recipe post_id=”35283″]