I think these may be my best gluten free muffins yet! π
These are so incredibly light, airy, fluffy, tender. Not dense at all. Everything you’d expect from a ‘real’ muffin and with proper, puffy domed tops that hold their shape.
I know that muffins arenβt the most exciting thing when compared to all the beautiful desserts of Instagram, but in real life, who doesnβt like the humble muffin? π
I made a few different sizes and even the giant ones didn’t ones didn’t collapse! π
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SOME NOTES:
Can I omit the tapioca starch?
Tapioca plays an important role in making these gluten free muffins so soft and fluffy. It’s an amazing gluten free flour that provides a much softer and elastic texture than standard gluten free flour blends.
I know it’s a pain to source single ‘weird’ flours like that, but I promise you won’t regret it. It’s a magical ingredient Β that can greatly improve most gluten free recipes out there.
AND you only ever need to add a little bit so a small bag will last you forever. π
Where can I find tapioca starch?
Chinese / Asian shops are by far the best for this. They always have a few different brands and nearly always at least one certified gluten free.
You can also sometimes find them in large mainstream supermarkets, especially the world food section.
Otherwise, you can easily order it online from a vast array of shops. Like this one from Sous Chef UK.
Whip your egg whites!
It’s a brilliant way to incorporate more air bubbles into your batter and improve the texture for better, fluffier muffins. It’s also said to help them keep their shape and produce these beautiful domed tops typical of bakery style muffins.
It’s an optional step that can be skipped if you can’t be bothered, but I recommend giving it a try. π
Let the batter rest!
In my experience, most muffin recipes just tell you to bake them right then and there, but I highly recommend letting it rest for an hour or two in the fridge.
It allows the dry ingredients to properly absorb the liquids and produces a MUCH better texture.
You can add whatever flavours you want
I added strawberries, but feel free to swap for any other berries you want.
Or chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruits, etc.
You can add more sugar.
These arenβt overly sweet as I was planning to put some buttercream on top which more than compensates for it… but those with a proper sweet tooth may want to add a bit more.Β π
Can I make these dairy free?
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure. Technically it should work, but in my experience they won’t be as good.
Dairy free yoghurts tends to be a lot more runny than Greek yoghurt and also contains less protein. Try to use the thickest dairy free yoghurt and aim for the best protein content you can find (often soy based ones).
The acidity of real yoghurt also reacts with baking powder to help produce a very light and fluffy texture. So make sure you replace it with something else. Like a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
How to store them.
In an airtight container at room temperature.
- 145g plain gluten free flour (I used ASDA)
- 30g tapioca starch / flour
- 80g granulated sugar
- 2 + ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 70g Greek style yoghurt
- 60g butter
- 70g whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g strawberries (or other berries of your choice)
COOKING TIME: about 20 minutes
Directions
WHIP THE EGG WHITE:
NOTE: this step is optional so feel free to skip it. But whipping the egg white can help the texture by making muffins fluffier and airier. π
- Give your bowl and whisk/paddle attachments a quick wipe with kitchen towel, soaked with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice. This helps get rid of any speck of grease (which can prevent your egg whites from whipping properly).
- Separate the egg. The easiest way to do so without breaking the yolk, in my opinion, is to crack the egg and let the egg white dribble through your fingers and into a bowl. Then set the egg yolk aside in a separate bowl.
- Add a pinch of salt into your egg white.
- Then beat with a hand held mixer on medium speed until you can form stiff peaks. Youβll know itβs done when you can hold the bowl upside down without the content falling out.
- Set aside.
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PREPARE THE BATTER:
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. The plain flour, tapioca starch, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.
- Then add the egg yolk, yoghurt, butter (melted in the microwave first), milk and vanilla. Mix briefly until well combined, smooth and lump free. But try not to over-mix it as this can get rid of air bubbles and make the muffins less fluffy.
- Fold in the egg white, as gently as you can, using a spatula.
- Then finally, fold in the strawberries (finely chopped).
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LET THE BATTER REST:
- Technically you can go ahead and bake the muffins now, but ideally I recommend letting the batter rest for an hour. This allows the dry ingredients to properly absorb the liquids and produces a better muffin shape and texture.
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BAKE YOUR GLUTEN FREE MUFFINS:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
- Line a muffin tray with paper cases. To secure them and make the process easier, I like to add a bit of cooking spray (I use Fry Light olive oil) on the muffin tray before putting the paper cases.
- Spoon in the muffin batter. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this. Fill them about half to two third of the cups for small muffins or fill them all the way to the top for larger ones. For huge ones with big raised tops, you can even put a bit more dough.
- You can then smooth the tops a little and press the batter in the cups gently (with wet fingers to prevent sticking).
- Bake for about 20 minutes until springy and golden. To check if theyβre fully cooked, poke the center with a skewer or knife. If it comes out clean, theyβre done. If not, put them back in the oven a little longer. The cooking time can vary depending on the oven.
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool down briefly for just a couple of minutes. Until theyβre cool enough to touch.
- Then carefully take them out of the muffin tray and transfer them onto a drying rack or plate. I recommend doing this, otherwise the heat from the hot tray will carry on cooking them and dry them out.
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave briefly. π
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OPTIONAL Β // Β DECORATE THE MUFFINS:
NOTE: make sureΒ the muffins haveΒ completely cooled down.
- For what I call a “lazy buttercream”, just mix softened butter with as much or as little icing sugar as you want along with a touch of vanilla extract and food colouring, if you want.
- You can either use a piping bag or just spread it on with a knife or spoon (like I did) if you don’t care about them looking perfect. π
- I also added fresh strawberries and homemade meringue kisses on top.
Hope you like them! π
Kimi x
