Blueberry Muffins

This muffin recipe is adapted from Baking With Julia cookbook and written by Dorie Greenspan. I like the lightness of the muffin and the smell of the fresh blueberries. And surprisingly not too sweet! I guess you'll see me posting more recipes from this cookbook. So, watch out for them :)


Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups Cake Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cream Of Tartar
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 pint Fresh Blueberries
3/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 stick (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
2/3 Sugar
1 Large Egg, at room temperature
1 Large Egg Yolk, at room temperature

Method

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter or spray 18 muffin cups or line them with paper bake cups. (These muffins are best made in standard tins in which the cups are 2 1/2 inches in diameter.) If you have 2 muffin tins with 12 cups, fill the 6 cups that will be empty in one of the tins with water - this will help the muffins bake evenly.

Mixing the Batter: Sift the cake flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt together twice, and leave the sifted dry ingredients in the sifter or strainer; set it on a piece of waxed paper. Remove a tablespoon or two of the dry ingredients and toss with the blueberries. In a separate bowl, stir the milk and sour cream together and set aside until needed.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment ( or work with a hand-held mixer), beat the butter on medium speed until white and pale, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture no longer feels grainy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the paddle and the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs and yolk and beat until the mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift half of the dry ingredients into the bowl. Add half of the milk and sour cream mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, delicately fold the ingredients together, stopping when barely combined. Add the remaining dry and liquid ingredients and fold in only until just mixed-don't be concerned about getting everything evenly incorporated. Sprinkle over the blueberries and fold them in only to the just mixed stage.

Baking the muffins: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup at least two-thirds full, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops, which will be flat, are golden and spring back when lightly pressed. Turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Storing: The muffins will stay light and lovely for a day. If you are not going to serve them within a few hours of baking, pack them into a plastic bag, they'll keep for 1 more days and will then be best sliced and toasted. For longer storage, wrap airtight and freeze for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.