I have been cutting refined white flour out of my diet wherever possible, but regular whole wheat flour does not work well in muffins. They come out dense, heavy, and a little sad. White whole wheat flour turned out to be the fix, and the difference in texture is significant enough that I have not gone back to the white flour version since.
Most box mixes of blueberry muffins do not actually contain real blueberries either. They use flavored bits or imitation pieces instead. If I wanted real blueberries and whole wheat flour in the same muffin without compromising on either, scratch was the only way to get there.
These come in under 153 calories each and cost less than 50 cents to make. They are not exactly diet food but they are a better version of a thing I was going to eat anyway, which is usually the most practical goal. The recipe is adapted from the Banana Muffins II recipe by ABI_GODFREY on Allrecipes, which I had been making with white flour for a while with good results.
There is one ingredient here that does most of the heavy lifting, and it is not the blueberries.
White whole wheat flour is milled from hard white spring wheat rather than the red wheat used in traditional whole wheat. King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour has the same nutritional profile as red wheat flour but with a lighter color and noticeably milder flavor. My experience matches that exactly. It bakes up soft enough that most people would not guess it was whole wheat at all. You can also substitute 2 large mashed bananas for the blueberries if you want to go that direction with the same base recipe.
Soft, lightly sweet blueberry muffins made with white whole wheat flour for extra fiber and fewer calories than the bakery version. Real blueberries, under 153 calories each, and less than 50 cents to make.
Nutrition Per Muffin
Ingredients
- 1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for topping (optional)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
- 1 tablespoon low-fat milk, plus more if needed
- 1 egg
- 1/3 pint fresh blueberries (or 2 large mashed bananas)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional, plus 1 teaspoon for topping)
Dairy-free or lactose intolerant? See the substitution section below the recipe for specific swaps for the butter, yogurt, and milk.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
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Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave, about 45 seconds. Let it cool slightly, then mix in the sugar, egg, yogurt, and vanilla extract and cinnamon if using. The mixture should have the consistency of loose applesauce.
The wet mixture should look like this before you add the dry ingredients. -
In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Sifting the dry ingredients together helps avoid pockets of baking soda in the finished muffin. - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. The batter should be thick like a very wet sticky bread dough, not pourable. You should need two spoons to transfer it. Add a splash of milk if it is too stiff to stir.
- Fold in the blueberries. Most will sink, so after spooning the batter into the pan press a few extra berries halfway into the top of each muffin so they show on the surface.
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Fill each muffin cup all the way to the top, not 2/3 as most recipes say. Use paper liners or grease the pan well. Optionally mix 1 tablespoon sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle lightly over the tops before baking.
Fill all the way to the top. This is what creates the dome. -
Bake at 450 degrees F for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. The muffins are done when the top springs back when lightly pressed. If it deforms instead, give them a few more minutes.
The two-temperature bake is what produces the rise you see here. - Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove carefully and transfer to a wire cooling rack for about 20 more minutes before serving.
How to Get Big Bakery-Style Muffin Tops
Getting that big domed top comes down to three things working together: batter thickness, fill level, and baking temperature.
The batter needs to be thick enough to hold its shape as it rises but not so dense that the muffin comes out heavy. Think of a very wet, sticky bread dough before you have added all the flour. It should not be pourable, and it should stick to your spoons when you transfer it to the pan. If it runs off the spoon cleanly, it is too thin.
Fill each cup all the way to the top rather than the 2/3 full that most recipes reccomend. More batter means more material to dome upward. The batter is thick enough to hold its shape so it will not overflow during baking.
The temperature trick is starting at 450 degrees F for the first 5 minutes, then dropping to 350 for the rest of the bake. The initial high heat causes the exterior to set and dome quickly before the internal structure firms up around it. Skip this step and you get a flat top regardless of how you fill the pan.
Bakeries achieve this naturally by using oversized jumbo pans, which produce bigger muffins by default. A standard 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with this technique gets you the same domed result without the extra calories that come with a larger muffin. I find the jumbo ones too big anyway and usually end up cutting them in half.
Nutrition Facts
Making These Dairy-Free or Lactose-Free
This recipe was originally developed before I became lactose intolerant, so it uses butter, yogurt, and milk. All three can be swapped without significantly changing the final result.
For the butter, vegan butter like Earth Balance works in a direct one-to-one substitution and behaves the same way in the batter. Refined coconut oil also works well and adds a very subtle background sweetness that is not unpleasant in a blueberry muffin.
For the nonfat yogurt, any plain dairy-free yogurt works here. Coconut yogurt is the easiest to find and the fat content actually helps the texture slightly. Almond or oat-based plain yogurt works too. The yogurt adds a small amount of tang and moisture, so stick with plain unflavored varieties rather than anything sweetened.
For the milk, oat milk is the best behavioral match for low-fat dairy milk in baking. Use the same amount as the recipe calls for. The batter consistency should look the same as it would with regular milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use regular whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat?
You can, but the texture will be noticeably denser and the flavor more assertive. Regular whole wheat flour is milled from red wheat which has a stronger, slightly bitter taste and a heavier texture in baked goods. White whole wheat flour from the same amount of fiber and nutrients but behaves much more like all-purpose flour. If regular whole wheat is all you have, try replacing only half of it with all-purpose to split the difference.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes. Do not thaw them first or they will bleed into the batter and turn everything purple. Fold them in straight from frozen in the same quantity. The bake time may need an extra 2 to 3 minutes since the frozen berries will lower the internal temperature of the batter slightly. Fresh blueberries produce a slightly better result but frozen works fine and is more practical year round.
Why start at 450 degrees F and then lower the temperature?
The initial high heat causes the top of the muffin to set and dome upward quickly before the interior structure firms up around it. If you bake at a consistent lower temperature the whole time, the batter rises more slowly and evenly, which produces a flat or slightly rounded top rather than a pronounced dome. The 5 minutes at 450 is short enough that it does not burn the outside. After that you drop to 350 to finish cooking the center through without over-browning.
Can I substitute the blueberries with something else?
Yes. Two large mashed bananas is the most direct substitute and produces a banana muffin with essentially the same base recipe. Raspberries work well too in the same quantity as the blueberries. Diced apple with a little extra cinnamon is another good direction. Whatever you use, try to match the moisture content roughly. Very juicy fruit can make the batter too wet, so pat it dry or reduce the milk slightly to compensate.
How should I store these and how long do they keep?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. After that the texture starts to decline. For longer storage, freeze them individually in plastic wrap or a zip bag. They keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months and thaw quickly on the counter or in a toaster oven. I usually freeze half the batch right away since 8 muffins is more than I will eat in 3 days.
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