Secara kasarnya memang mufin dan kek cawan nampak seakan-akan sama kerana diisi dalam cawan-cawan kertas yang kecil . Kerana saiznya yang kecil, ia begitu comel jika dihidangkan di dalam pinggan apatah lagi jika dihiasi dengan pelbagai aising yang memikat selera. Mufin diklasifikasikan sebagai quick bread -quickly made and quickly eaten. Ia selalu dihidangkan untuk sarapan pagi atau untuk minum petang. Membuat mufin adalah ringkas sekali, cuma ikuti kaedah muffin (muffin method) : Satukan bahan-bahan basah dan tuangkan ke dalam bahan-bahan kering. Gaulkan hingga basah semuanya. Jangan overmixing kerana mufin akan menjadi keras. Manakala kek cawan pula adalah kek-kek kecil yang diperbuat dari adunan kek mentega, kek span atau lain-lain kek yang bersesuaian. Ini bermakna untuk membuat kek cawan, boleh menggunakan pelbagai jenis adunan kek.Tetapi kebiasaannya, kek cawan diperbuat dari adunan kek mentega seperti kek vanila, kek oren dan sebagainya.
Berikut adalah artikel yang dipetik dari laman web www.baking 911.com mengenai mufin. Maaf kerana tidak sempat untuk diterjemahkan ke Bahasa Melayu.
ALL ABOUT MUFFIN
Muffins are smaller versions of quick-breads and are often the moister, richer and sweeter cousins of
scones or
biscuits. Muffins are so easy to make, that if you are a beginner, after
cookies, they should be the next baked good to make.
Muffins are traditionally baked in muffin tins from a batter prepared from a mixture of all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder/soda, eggs, fat, and milk (buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream), though recipes can vary. Dried or fresh fruit, nuts, chocolate, extracts, herbs and spices, cornmeal, bran, oats are some of the flavorings that can be added. A streusel topping, a sprinkle of coarse sugar or a drizzle of a glaze can be added for flavor and texture. All muffins are good served warm or reheated.
There are two types of muffins: bread-like and cake-like, each
mixed using a different method and containing different proportions of fat and sugar to flour.
Less sugar and fat makes a bread-like muffin with a more coarse interior crumb than a cake-like muffin. The fat used is usually in liquid form, either an oil or melted butter. Stirring must be kept to a minimum so the gluten is not overdeveloped. The interior crumb has small, and more irregular air holes.
A higher sugar and butter content makes a cake-like muffin. The butter (room-temperature) and sugar are creamed together and need more stirring to develop the desired structure. The interior crumb should have smaller air holes and tender, more like a cake.
DO NOT OVER MIX AND/OR OVER BAKE MUFFINS AND OTHER QUICK BREAD RECIPES. When a muffin turns out dense, dry and flavorless, you have either over mixed the batter and/or over baked it.
If you break open your muffins and see tunnels, you've over mixed the batter! The excess of air bubbles beaten into the batter, stretch the gluten while baking. To prevent, STOP mixing when you have generally just combined the dry and wet ingredients.
To prevent over baking, the muffin tin should come out of the oven just when the muffins have a tiny bit of baking to go.
MUFFIN MIXING METHODS: The optimum proportion of ingredients, mixing, and baking results in a the ideal muffin which has a good volume, a slightly rounded, golden brown and pebbly top mixed with the Muffin Mix Method or a smooth top when mixed with the Cake Method.
To Mix With the Muffin Method: is used to mix most muffin batters. Only two bowls are needed to make the batter. One bowl is used to mix all the dry ingredients together. The second bowl contains all the wet ingredients. For best results, the wet ingredients are usually poured into the dry ones and mixed with a large spoon until just combined. It is done this way so the
gluten protein in flour is not developed until the last minute when wheat flour and moisture are mixed, resulting in a tender and flavorful recipe.
NOTE: Do not cool muffins in their pans or they will get soggy bottoms. Instead, the muffin tin should sit on a wire cake rack for 10 minutes before removing muffins to cool back on the wire cake rack. Turn the pan over and tap lightly and the muffins should fall right out. They are less apt to fall apart when removing if you give them that 10 minute resting period.
If the muffins continue to stick, carefully run a narrow flexible metal spatula or thin-bladed knife around the sides of each muffin to loosen fat is less effective than solid fat from preventing gluten and this mixing method helps to prevent excess from forming. This is the opposite of
yeast breads that require kneading to develop the
gluten.
Combine dry ingredients in one bowl, mixing well. If you didn’t mix them before combining with the liquid ingredients, when baked, the muffins will likely get elongated holes (tunnels) inside
Combine wet ingredients in another bowl, mixing well.
Finally combine the dry and wet, by hand with a wooden spoon, just enough to blend - DO NOT OVERMIX. Only 10 to 15 strokes are needed to moisten the ingredients and the batter should be still lumpy - don't try and smooth it. The lumps will disappear when the batter bakes. When lifted with a spoon, the batter should break and separate easily.
Form and bake immediately in a well-preheated oven. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
To Mix With the Cake Method: is prepared using the same method as mixing a butter cake batter where the butter and sugar are creamed together. The higher sugar and fat content in this type of muffin act as tenderizers by minimizing gluten, thereby producing a richer cake-like muffin with a softer crumb. The butter (room-temperature) and sugar are creamed together.
The eggs are mixed in.
The wet and dry ingredients are added alternately.
Batter will look smooth. DO NOT OVERMIX.
If any muffin batter is over-mixed, it will not easily rise in the early part of the baking. This results in a lighter slick crust with a duller appearance, a top which is not rounded but has peaks, and tunnels or holes through the center of the muffin.
Form and bake immediately in a well-preheated oven. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
Muffin Pans: For better baking, use shiny muffin pans for golden and tender muffin crusts. For easy baking and easy cleanup, use greased paper baking cups preferably when the batter is cake-like (thinner batters).
