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{{Short description|A part-raised flatbread or a quickbread}}
{{Short description|Part-raised flatbread or quickbread}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|Blueberry muffin|the newborn baby condition|Blueberry muffin baby}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{multiple image
[[File:02116jfMuffins in Philippinesfvf 02.jpg|thumb|Three flavors of muffin: [[blueberry]], [[chocolate]], and [[chocolate chip]].]]
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 200
| image1 = 02116jfMuffins in Philippinesfvf 02.jpg
| caption1 = Three flavors of American muffin: [[blueberry]], [[chocolate]], and [[chocolate chip]]
| image2 = English muffins wheat rye.jpg
| caption2 = [[Wheat]] and [[rye]] [[#Flatbread muffins|English muffins]], toasted and untoasted
}}


A '''muffin''' or '''bun''' is an individually portioned baked product; however, the term can refer to one of two distinct items: a [[Baker's yeast|part-raised]] [[flatbread]] (like a [[crumpet]]) that is baked and then cooked on a [[griddle]] (typically unsweetened), or a (often sweetened) [[quickbread]] that is chemically leavened and then baked in a mold. While quickbread "American" muffins are often sweetened, there are savory varieties made with ingredients such as corn and cheese, and less sweet varieties like traditional ''bran muffins''. The flatbread "English" variety is of British or other European derivation, and dates from at least the early 18th century, while the quickbread originated in North America during the 19th century. Both types are common worldwide today.
 
A '''muffin''' is a type of individual-sized [[baked good]]. It is often a small, sweet [[quickbread]] or [[cake]] in a cup-shaped container. It may be named for additional ingredients, e.g., "blueberry muffin".  
 
While quickbread "American" muffins are often sweetened, there are savory varieties made with ingredients such as cornbread muffins and cheese muffins, and less sweet varieties such as traditional bran muffins. The quickbread muffin originated in North America during the 19th century.


== Etymology ==
== Etymology ==
One 19th century source suggests that ''muffin'' may be related to the Greek bread {{Lang|el|maphula}}, a 'cake baked on a hearth or griddle', or from Old French {{Lang|fro|mou-pain}} 'soft bread', which may have been altered into {{Lang|fro|mouffin}}.<ref>''Notes and Queries: Medium of Inter-Communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.'', Volume 1, Oxford University Press, 1850. p. 253.</ref> The word is first found in print in 1703, spelled ''{{Not a typo|moofin}}'';<ref name=Thorseby>R. Thoresby in a letter dated 27 Apr. 1703 and quoted by J. Ray in 1848. [[Vide (Latin)|''vide'']]: [https://archive.org/details/correspondenceof48rayj ''The correspondence of J. Ray, consisting of selections from the philosophical letters published by Dr. Derham and original letters of J. Ray in the collection of the British Museum'' (1848) p. 425]</ref> it is of uncertain origin but possibly derived from the Low German {{Lang|nds|Muffen}}, the plural of {{Lang|nds|Muffe}}, meaning 'small cake', or possibly with some connection to the Old French {{Lang|fro|moufflet}} meaning 'soft', as said of bread.<ref name=oed>''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989)</ref><ref name=Harper>{{Cite web | last = Harper | first = Douglas | title = Online Etymology Dictionary | url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=muffin | access-date = 30 April 2006 }}</ref> The expression ''muffin-man'', meaning a street seller of muffins, is attested in a 1754 poem, which includes the line: "Hark! the shrill Muffin-Man his Carol plies."<ref name=Harper/>
One 19th-century source suggests that ''muffin'' may be related to the Greek bread {{Lang|el|maphula}}, a 'cake baked on a hearth or griddle', or from Old French {{Lang|fro|mou-pain}} 'soft bread', which may have been altered into {{Lang|fro|mouffin}}.<ref>''Notes and Queries: Medium of Inter-Communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.'', Volume 1, Oxford University Press, 1850. p. 253.</ref> The word is first found in print in 1703, spelled ''{{Not a typo|moofin}}'';<ref name=Thorseby>R. Thoresby in a letter dated 27 Apr. 1703 and quoted by J. Ray in 1848. [[Vide (Latin)|''vide'']]: [https://archive.org/details/correspondenceof48rayj ''The correspondence of J. Ray, consisting of selections from the philosophical letters published by Dr. Derham and original letters of J. Ray in the collection of the British Museum'' (1848) p. 425]</ref> it is of uncertain origin but possibly derived from the Low German {{Lang|nds|Muffen}}, the plural of {{Lang|nds|Muffe}}, meaning 'small cake', or possibly with some connection to the Old French {{Lang|fro|moufflet}} meaning 'soft', as said of bread.<ref name="oed">{{Cite OED|muffin}}</ref><ref name=Harper>{{Cite web | last = Harper | first = Douglas | title = Online Etymology Dictionary | url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=muffin | access-date = 30 April 2006 }}</ref> The expression ''muffin-man'', meaning a street seller of muffins, is attested in a 1754 poem, which includes the line: "Hark! the shrill Muffin-Man his Carol plies."<ref name=Harper/>


==Quickbread muffins==
==Quickbread muffins==
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| main_ingredient  = [[Flour]], eggs, [[leavening]], [[vegetable oil]], [[sugar]]
| main_ingredient  = [[Flour]], eggs, [[leavening]], [[vegetable oil]], [[sugar]]
|minor_ingredient=Blueberries, chocolate, poppyseeds, or bran|alternate_name=American muffin}}
|minor_ingredient=Blueberries, chocolate, poppyseeds, or bran|alternate_name=American muffin}}
Quickbread muffins (sometimes described in Britain as "American muffins"<ref name="AM">[http://www.cakebaker.co.uk/american-muffins.html American muffins] at cakebaker.co.uk; retrieved 3 Sept 2017</ref>) are baked, individual-sized, cupcake-shaped foods with a "moist, coarse-grained" texture.<ref name="WCSF">Wrigley, Colin W; Corke, Harold;  Seetharaman, Koushik; Faubion, Jonathan. ''Encyclopedia of Food Grains''. Academic Press, 2015. p. 33-34</ref> Muffins are available in both savoury varieties, such as cornmeal and cheese muffins, or sweet varieties such as blueberry, [[chocolate chip]], lemon or banana flavours. Sweetened muffins range from lightly sweetened muffins to products that are "richer than many cakes in fat and sugar."<ref name="WCSF" /> They are similar to [[cupcake]]s in size and cooking methods, the main difference being that cupcakes tend to be sweet [[dessert]]s using cake batter and which are often topped with sugar icing (American frosting). Muffins may have solid items mixed into the batter, such as berries, chocolate chips or nuts. Fresh baked muffins are sold by [[bakery|bakeries]], [[List of doughnut shops|donut shop]]s and some [[fast food]] restaurants and [[coffeehouse]]s. Factory baked muffins are sold at [[grocery store]]s and [[convenience store]]s and are also served in some [[Coffeehouse|coffeeshops]] and [[cafeteria]]s.
Quickbread muffins (sometimes described in Britain as "American muffins"<ref name="AM">[http://www.cakebaker.co.uk/american-muffins.html American muffins] at cakebaker.co.uk; retrieved 3 Sept 2017</ref>) are baked, individual-sized, cupcake-shaped foods with a "moist, coarse-grained" texture.<ref name="WCSF">Wrigley, Colin W; Corke, Harold;  Seetharaman, Koushik; Faubion, Jonathan. ''Encyclopedia of Food Grains''. Academic Press, 2015. p. 33-34</ref> Muffins are available in both savoury varieties, such as cornmeal and cheese muffins, or sweet varieties such as blueberry, [[chocolate chip]], lemon or banana flavours. Sweetened muffins range from lightly sweetened muffins to products that are "richer than many cakes in fat and sugar."<ref name="WCSF" /> They are similar to [[cupcake]]s in size and cooking methods, the main difference being that cupcakes tend to be sweet [[dessert]]s using cake batter, often topped with sugar icing (American frosting). Muffins may have solid items mixed into the batter, such as berries, chocolate chips or nuts. Fresh baked muffins are sold by bakeries, [[List of doughnut shops|donut shop]]s and some [[fast food]] restaurants and coffeehouses. Factory-baked muffins are sold at [[grocery store]]s and [[convenience store]]s, and are served in some [[Coffeehouse|coffee shops]] and [[cafeteria]]s.


===History===  
===History===  
Recipes for quickbread muffins are common in 19th-century American cookbooks.<ref name="Lettice">{{cite book |first=Lettice |last=Bryan |title=Kentucky Housewife |publisher=Applewood Books (reprint) |location=South Dartmouth, Massachusetts |year=1839 |page=[https://archive.org/details/kentuckyhousewif0000brya/page/309 309] |isbn=1-55709-514-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/kentuckyhousewif0000brya/page/309 }}</ref><ref name="beecher">{{cite book |title=Miss Beecher's domestic recipe book |first=Catharine Esther |last=Beecher |publisher=Harper |year=1871 |page=99}}</ref> Recipes for yeast-based muffins, which were sometimes called "common muffins" or "wheat muffins" in 19th-century American cookbooks, can be found in much older [[cookbook]]s. In [[Fannie Farmer]]'s ''[[Boston Cooking-School Cook Book]]'', she gave recipes for both types of muffins, both those that used yeast to raise the dough and those that used a quick bread method, using [[muffin rings]] to shape the English muffins. Farmer indicated that stove top "baking", as is done with yeast dough, was a useful method when baking in an oven was not practical.<ref>{{cite book |last=Farmer |first=Fannie |title=Boston Cooking-School Cook Book |url=https://archive.org/details/bostoncookingsc00collgoog |year=1896 |publisher=Little, Brown & Company |location=Boston, Massachusetts |isbn=1408632292}}</ref> Over the years, the size and calorie content of muffins has changed: the <q>3-inch muffins grandmother made had only 120 to 160 calories. But today's giant bakery muffins contain from 340 to 630 calories each.</q><ref name="nbc">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6307384/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/think-muffins-bagelsare-healthy-think-again/#.XWrRuONKjIU |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517030707/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6307384/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/think-muffins-bagelsare-healthy-think-again#.XWrRuONKjIU |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |title= Think muffins and bagels are healthy? Think again In some cases, you may be better off eating a doughnut|last=Collins |first=Karen |date=22 November 2004|website=NBC News |access-date=31 August 2019 }}</ref>
Recipes for quickbread muffins are common in 19th-century American cookbooks.<ref name="Lettice">{{cite book |first=Lettice |last=Bryan |title=Kentucky Housewife |publisher=Applewood Books (reprint) |location=South Dartmouth, Massachusetts |year=1839 |page=[https://archive.org/details/kentuckyhousewif0000brya/page/309 309] |isbn=1-55709-514-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/kentuckyhousewif0000brya/page/309 }}</ref><ref name="beecher">{{cite book |title=Miss Beecher's domestic recipe book |first=Catharine Esther |last=Beecher |publisher=Harper |year=1871 |page=99}}</ref> Recipes for yeast-based muffins, which were sometimes called "common muffins" or "wheat muffins" in 19th-century American cookbooks, can be found in much older [[cookbook]]s. In [[Fannie Farmer]]'s ''[[Boston Cooking-School Cook Book]]'', she gave recipes for both quick bread muffins and [[English muffins]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Farmer |first=Fannie |title=Boston Cooking-School Cook Book |url=https://archive.org/details/bostoncookingsc00collgoog |year=1896 |publisher=Little, Brown & Company |location=Boston, Massachusetts |isbn=1408632292}}</ref>  
 
Over the years, the size and calorie content of muffins has changed: the <q>3-inch muffins grandmother made had only 120 to 160 calories. But today's giant bakery muffins contain from 340 to 630 calories each.</q><ref name="nbc">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6307384/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/think-muffins-bagelsare-healthy-think-again/#.XWrRuONKjIU |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517030707/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6307384/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/think-muffins-bagelsare-healthy-think-again#.XWrRuONKjIU |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |title= Think muffins and bagels are healthy? Think again In some cases, you may be better off eating a doughnut|last=Collins |first=Karen |date=22 November 2004|website=NBC News |access-date=31 August 2019 }}</ref>


===Manufacture===
===Manufacture===
Quickbread muffins are made with flour, sieved together with [[bicarbonate of soda]] as a [[leavening agent|raising agent]]. To this is added butter or shortening, eggs and any flavourings (fruit, such as blueberries, chocolate or banana; or savouries, such as cheese).
Quickbread muffins are made with flour, sieved together with [[bicarbonate of soda]] as a [[Leavening agent|raising agent]]. To this is added butter or shortening, eggs and any flavourings (fruit, such as blueberries, chocolate or banana; or savouries, such as cheese).


Commercial muffins may have "modified starches", corn syrup (or [[high-fructose corn syrup]]), xanthan gum, or guar gum to increase moisture content and lengthen shelf life (as well, these gums can make added solids, such as chocolate chips, disperse more evenly in the batter).<ref name="WCSF" />
Commercial muffins may have "modified starches", corn syrup (or [[high-fructose corn syrup]]), xanthan gum, or guar gum to increase moisture content and lengthen shelf life (these gums can also make added solids, such as chocolate chips, disperse more evenly in the batter).<ref name="WCSF" />


=== Bran muffins ===
=== Bran muffins ===
[[File:Applesauce oat bran muffins (42274838985).jpg|thumb|Oat bran muffins]]
[[File:Applesauce oat bran muffins (42274838985).jpg|thumb|Oat bran muffins]]
'''Bran muffins''' use less flour and use [[bran]] instead, as well as using [[molasses]] and [[brown sugar]].<ref name="WCSF" /> The mix is turned into a pocketed muffin tray, or into individual paper moulds, and baked in an oven. Milk is often added, as it contributes to the appealing browning appearance.<ref name="WCSF" /> The result are raised, individual quickbreads.<ref name="AM" /> The muffin may have toppings added, such as cinnamon sugar, streusel,<ref name="WCSF" /> nuts, or chocolate chips.
Bran muffins use less flour and use [[bran]] instead, as well as using [[molasses]] and [[brown sugar]].<ref name="WCSF" /> The mix is turned into a pocketed muffin tray, or into individual paper moulds, and baked in an oven. Milk is often added, as it contributes to the appealing browning appearance.<ref name="WCSF" /> The result are raised, individual quickbreads.<ref name="AM" /> The muffin may have toppings added, such as cinnamon sugar, streusel,<ref name="WCSF" /> nuts, or chocolate chips.


===Poppyseed muffins===
===Poppyseed muffins===
[[File:Cranberry-Mohn Muffins on plate.jpg|thumb|[[Poppyseed]] muffins on a plate]]
[[File:Cranberry-Mohn Muffins on plate.jpg|thumb|[[Poppyseed]] muffins on a plate]]
'''Poppyseed muffins''' (or '''poppy seed muffins''') contain poppy seeds. Poppy seeds were already popular in most parts of the world for their taste and texture&mdash;as well as the [[narcotic]] characteristics of the [[opium poppy]] plant they are harvested from. In modern times, growing poppy seeds is a difficult business for American farmers, due to the risk of [[heroin]] production. Other countries have fewer difficulties with permitting the growth of poppies for the seeds alone, which have very low (but still present) levels of [[opium]] [[alkaloids]], such as [[morphine]]. As other countries began imitating the American muffin, the occasional use of poppy seeds to flavor them spread as well. Although poppy seeds cannot be used as a [[narcotic]] due to very low levels of opium alkaloids,<ref name="erowid">{{Cite web |title=Erowid Poppy Vault : Legal Status |url=https://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy/poppy_law.shtml |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.erowid.org}}</ref> they do have enough that [[drug test]]s are often fooled and give out [[false positive]]s after an otherwise drug-free person consumes just a few poppyseed muffins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poppy-seeds: codeine, morphine and urinanalysis |url=https://www.opioids.com/poppyseeds/urinalysis.html |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.opioids.com}}</ref> Because of this, all poppyseed pastries place the person who consumes them prior to a test at a high risk of being inaccurately considered a drug user.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-02-08 |title=Tourists warned of UAE drug laws |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234786.stm |access-date=2022-08-03}}</ref>
Poppyseed muffins (or poppy seed muffins) contain poppy seeds. Poppy seeds were already popular in most parts of the world for their taste and texture&mdash;as well as the [[narcotic]] characteristics of the [[opium poppy]] plant they are harvested from. In modern times, growing poppy seeds is a difficult business for American farmers, due to the risk of [[heroin]]—which is derived from poppies—being produced.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}} Other countries have fewer difficulties with permitting the growth of poppies for the seeds alone, which have very low (but not zero) levels of [[opium]] [[alkaloids]], such as [[morphine]]. As other countries began imitating the American muffin, the occasional use of poppy seeds to flavor them spread as well. Although poppy seeds cannot be used as a [[narcotic]] due to very low levels of opium alkaloids,<ref name="erowid">{{Cite web |title=Erowid Poppy Vault : Legal Status |url=https://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy/poppy_law.shtml |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.erowid.org}}</ref> they do have enough that [[drug test]]s often report [[false positive]]s after a drug-free person eats a few poppyseed muffins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poppy-seeds: codeine, morphine and urinanalysis |url=https://www.opioids.com/poppyseeds/urinalysis.html |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.opioids.com}}</ref> In one reported case the [[UAE]] jailed a man for four years after poppy seeds from a roll he had eaten at an airport were found on his clothes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-02-08 |title=Tourists warned of UAE drug laws |language=en-GB |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234786.stm |access-date=2022-08-03}}</ref>


[[Lemon]] is a common paired flavour with poppyseeds in muffin-making.
[[Lemon]] is commonly paired with poppyseeds in muffin-making.


===Nutrition===
===Nutrition===
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===Bakeware and baking aids===
===Bakeware and baking aids===
[[Image:Muffin pan.jpg|thumb|right|A typical muffin pan]]
[[Image:Muffin pan.jpg|thumb|right|A typical muffin pan]]
[[Muffin tin]]s and muffin pans are typically metal bakeware which has round bowl-shaped depressions into which muffin batter is poured. Muffin tins or pans can be greased with butter or cooking spray, to lessen the issue of batter sticking to the pan. Alternatively, muffin cups or cases are used. Cups or cases are usually round sheets of [[paper]], [[Foil (metal)|foil]], or silicone<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hormel.com/kitchen/glossary.asp?id=35798 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040122204458/http://www.hormel.com/kitchen/glossary.asp?id=35798 |archive-date=2004-01-22 |title=Hormel Foods |access-date=2007-04-19}}</ref> with scallop-pressed edges, giving the muffin a round cup shape. They are used in the baking of muffins to line the bottoms of muffin tins, to facilitate the easy removal of the finished muffin from the tin. The advantage to cooks is easier removal and cleanup, more precise form, and moister muffins; however, using them will prevent a crust from forming.
[[Muffin tin]]s and muffin pans are typically metal bakeware which has round bowl-shaped depressions into which muffin batter is poured. Muffin tins or pans can be greased with butter or cooking spray, to lessen the issue of batter sticking to the pan. Alternatively, muffin cups or cases are used. Cups or cases are usually round sheets of foil, or silicone<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hormel.com/kitchen/glossary.asp?id=35798 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040122204458/http://www.hormel.com/kitchen/glossary.asp?id=35798 |archive-date=2004-01-22 |title=Hormel Foods |access-date=2007-04-19}}</ref> with scallop-pressed edges, giving the muffin a round cup shape. They are used in the baking of muffins to line the bottoms of muffin tins, to facilitate the easy removal of the finished muffin from the tin. The advantage to cooks is easier removal and cleanup, more precise form, and moister muffins; however, using them will prevent a crust from forming.


A variety of sizes for muffin cases are available. Slightly different sizes are considered "standard" in different countries. Miniature cases are commonly {{convert|1|to|1.25|in|mm|abbr=on}} in diameter at the base and {{convert|.75|in|mm|abbr=on}} tall. Standard-size cases range from {{convert|1.75|to|2|in|mm}} in diameter at the base and are {{convert|1.25|to|1.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} tall. Some jumbo-size cases can hold more than twice the size of standard cases. Australian and Swedish bakers are accustomed to taller paper cases with a larger diameter at the top than American and British bakers.<ref name="Smith2010">{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Lindy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=avVsJ5drkGMC&pg=PA7 |title=Bake me I'm Yours... Cupcake Celebration |publisher=David & Charles: Newton Abbot |year=2010 |isbn=9780715337707 |page=7}}</ref>
A variety of sizes for muffin cases are available. Slightly different sizes are considered "standard" in different countries. Miniature cases are commonly {{convert|1|to|1.25|in|mm|abbr=on}} in diameter at the base and {{convert|.75|in|mm|abbr=on}} tall. Standard-size cases range from {{convert|1.75|to|2|in|mm}} in diameter at the base and are {{convert|1.25|to|1.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} tall. Some jumbo-size cases can hold more than twice the capacity of standard cases. Australian and Swedish bakers are accustomed to taller paper cases with a larger diameter at the top than American and British bakers.<ref name="Smith2010">{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Lindy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=avVsJ5drkGMC&pg=PA7 |title=Bake me I'm Yours... Cupcake Celebration |publisher=David & Charles: Newton Abbot |year=2010 |isbn=9780715337707 |page=7}}</ref>


===Gallery of quickbread muffin flavors===
===Gallery of quickbread muffin flavors===
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File:BlueberryMuffin.jpg|[[Blueberry]] muffin, a common flavor
File:BlueberryMuffin.jpg|[[Blueberry]] muffin, a common flavor
</gallery>
</gallery>
==Flatbread muffins==
{{Infobox food
| name            = Flatbread muffin
| image            = [[File:Mmm...English muffins (5393409247).jpg|250px]]
| alternate_name  = English muffin
| country          = United Kingdom
| region          =
| course          = Traditionally breakfast
| type            = Leavened bread
| main_ingredient  = Flour, [[yeast]]
|minor_ingredient=|variations=[[Raisin]]s}}
Flatbread muffins (known in the United States and elsewhere as "[[English muffin]]s"; or simply as "muffins" or "bakery muffins"<ref name=WCSF/>) are a flatter disk-shaped, typically unsweetened yeast-leavened bread; generally about {{convert|4|in|cm|abbr=on}} in diameter and {{convert|1.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} tall. It is of English or European origin. Rather than being entirely oven-baked, they are also cooked in a [[griddle]] on the stove top and flipped from side-to-side, which results in a flattened shape rather than the rounded top seen in baked rolls or cake-type muffins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=English Muffin - Kitchen Dictionary - Food.com |url=https://www.food.com/about/english-muffin-819 |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.food.com}}</ref> "Cornmeal and bran are sometimes substituted for some of the flour."<ref>Larousse Gastronomique, Jennifer Harvey Lang, editor. Crown: New York 1988 (p. 703)</ref> These muffins are popular in [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth countries]] and the United States. Flatbread muffins are often served toasted for breakfast. They may be served with butter or margarine, and topped with sweet toppings, such as jam or honey, or savoury toppings (e.g., round sausage, cooked egg, cheese or bacon). Flatbread muffins are often eaten as a breakfast food (e.g. as an essential ingredient in [[Eggs Benedict]] and most of its variations), accompanied by coffee or tea.
===History===
[[File:Muffin man - Project Gutenberg eText 20338.png|thumb|left|100px|A Victorian-era muffin man ringing a bell.]]
Recipes for English muffins appear in published cookery books from the early 18th century,<ref>[http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/123299?redirectedFrom=muffin#eid Muffin] at [[Oxford English Dictionary]], retrieved 3 Sept 2017</ref> although the product is undoubtedly older than that.<ref>{{Cite book |last=David |first=Elizabeth |title=English Bread and Yeast Cookery |publisher=Penguin |year=1977 |isbn=0-14-046791-2 |location=London UK |pages=343 |language=English}}</ref> In the ''Oxford Companion to Food'', Alan Davidson states that "[t]here has always been some confusion between muffins, [[crumpet]]s, and pikelets, both in recipes and in name."<ref name=Davidson>Davidson, Alan. ''Oxford Companion to Food''. Oxford University Press:Oxford, 1999 (p. 517)</ref> The increasing popularity of flatbread muffins in the 19th century, is attested by the existence of "...muffin men [who] traversed the town streets at teatime, ringing their bells" to sell them.<ref name=Davidson/> The bell-ringing of muffin men became so common that by the 1840s, the British Parliament passed a law to prohibit bell ringing by muffin men, but it was not adhered to by sellers.<ref name=Davidson/>
"Mush muffins (called slipperdowns in New England) were a Colonial [American] muffin made with [[hominy]] on a hanging griddle."<ref>Mariani, John F. Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink,  [Lebhar-Freidman Books:New York] 1999 (p. 211)</ref> These and other types of flatbread muffins were known to American settlers, but they declined in popularity with the advent of the quickbread muffin. The flat muffin was re-introduced to the American market in 1880 as "English muffin" by English-American baker Samuel Beth Thomas (whose baked-goods company [[Thomas'|Thomas]] survives to this day). Thomas called the product "toaster crumpets", and intended them as a "more elegant alternative to toast' to be served in fine hotels.<ref name="Nibble1">{{Cite web |title=The Nibble: English Muffin History |url=http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/breadstuffs/english-muffin-history.asp |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.thenibble.com}}</ref> The English muffin has been described as a variant form of a [[crumpet]], or a "cousin", with the difference being the location of the holes; in a crumpet, the holes go all the way to the top, whereas with an English muffin, the holes are inside.<ref name=Nibble1/> In 1910, Fred Wolferman of Kansas City, Missouri began making denser English muffins at his family grocery, using empty tin cans as molds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Nibble: Wolferman's |url=http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/breadstuffs/wolfermans.asp |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.thenibble.com}}</ref>
{{Gallery
|title=Preparation of flatbread "English" muffins<ref>Based on a recipe by [[Alton Brown]] in [[List of Good Eats episodes#Season 7|"The Muffin Man"]] episode of the television cooking show ''[[Good Eats]]''</ref>
|Image:Flickr jspatchwork 146937143--Making English muffins 01.jpg|The dough
|Image:Flickr jspatchwork 146937144--Making English muffins 02.jpg|is cooked in rings
|Image:Flickr jspatchwork 146937146--Making English muffins 03.jpg|and then cooled
|Image:Flickr jspatchwork 146937151--Making English muffins 04.jpg|before it is split
|Image:Flickr jspatchwork 146937175--Making English muffins 05.jpg|and finally toasted.
}}
===Bakeware===
[[Muffin rings]] are metal cookware used for oven-baking or griddle-cooking flatbread muffins. They are circle-shaped objects made of thin metal. The rings are about one inch high.
A ''Muffineer'' was originally a sugar shaker, looking like a large salt cellar with a perforated decorative top, for spreading powdered sugar on muffins and other sweet cakes. Later, in the 19th century, the term was also used to describe a silver, or silver-plated, ''muffin dish'', with a domed lid and a compartment below for hot water, used to keep toasted English muffins warm before serving.


==As symbols==
==As symbols==

Latest revision as of 14:30, 18 December 2025

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File:02116jfMuffins in Philippinesfvf 02.jpg
Three flavors of muffin: blueberry, chocolate, and chocolate chip.


A muffin is a type of individual-sized baked good. It is often a small, sweet quickbread or cake in a cup-shaped container. It may be named for additional ingredients, e.g., "blueberry muffin".

While quickbread "American" muffins are often sweetened, there are savory varieties made with ingredients such as cornbread muffins and cheese muffins, and less sweet varieties such as traditional bran muffins. The quickbread muffin originated in North America during the 19th century.

Etymology

One 19th-century source suggests that muffin may be related to the Greek bread Script error: No such module "Lang"., a 'cake baked on a hearth or griddle', or from Old French Script error: No such module "Lang". 'soft bread', which may have been altered into Script error: No such module "Lang"..[1] The word is first found in print in 1703, spelled Template:Not a typo;[2] it is of uncertain origin but possibly derived from the Low German Script error: No such module "Lang"., the plural of Script error: No such module "Lang"., meaning 'small cake', or possibly with some connection to the Old French Script error: No such module "Lang". meaning 'soft', as said of bread.[3][4] The expression muffin-man, meaning a street seller of muffins, is attested in a 1754 poem, which includes the line: "Hark! the shrill Muffin-Man his Carol plies."[4]

Quickbread muffins

Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "check for unknown parameters". Quickbread muffins (sometimes described in Britain as "American muffins"[5]) are baked, individual-sized, cupcake-shaped foods with a "moist, coarse-grained" texture.[6] Muffins are available in both savoury varieties, such as cornmeal and cheese muffins, or sweet varieties such as blueberry, chocolate chip, lemon or banana flavours. Sweetened muffins range from lightly sweetened muffins to products that are "richer than many cakes in fat and sugar."[6] They are similar to cupcakes in size and cooking methods, the main difference being that cupcakes tend to be sweet desserts using cake batter, often topped with sugar icing (American frosting). Muffins may have solid items mixed into the batter, such as berries, chocolate chips or nuts. Fresh baked muffins are sold by bakeries, donut shops and some fast food restaurants and coffeehouses. Factory-baked muffins are sold at grocery stores and convenience stores, and are served in some coffee shops and cafeterias.

History

Recipes for quickbread muffins are common in 19th-century American cookbooks.[7][8] Recipes for yeast-based muffins, which were sometimes called "common muffins" or "wheat muffins" in 19th-century American cookbooks, can be found in much older cookbooks. In Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, she gave recipes for both quick bread muffins and English muffins.[9]

Over the years, the size and calorie content of muffins has changed: the 3-inch muffins grandmother made had only 120 to 160 calories. But today's giant bakery muffins contain from 340 to 630 calories each.[10]

Manufacture

Quickbread muffins are made with flour, sieved together with bicarbonate of soda as a raising agent. To this is added butter or shortening, eggs and any flavourings (fruit, such as blueberries, chocolate or banana; or savouries, such as cheese).

Commercial muffins may have "modified starches", corn syrup (or high-fructose corn syrup), xanthan gum, or guar gum to increase moisture content and lengthen shelf life (these gums can also make added solids, such as chocolate chips, disperse more evenly in the batter).[6]

Bran muffins

File:Applesauce oat bran muffins (42274838985).jpg
Oat bran muffins

Bran muffins use less flour and use bran instead, as well as using molasses and brown sugar.[6] The mix is turned into a pocketed muffin tray, or into individual paper moulds, and baked in an oven. Milk is often added, as it contributes to the appealing browning appearance.[6] The result are raised, individual quickbreads.[5] The muffin may have toppings added, such as cinnamon sugar, streusel,[6] nuts, or chocolate chips.

Poppyseed muffins

File:Cranberry-Mohn Muffins on plate.jpg
Poppyseed muffins on a plate

Poppyseed muffins (or poppy seed muffins) contain poppy seeds. Poppy seeds were already popular in most parts of the world for their taste and texture—as well as the narcotic characteristics of the opium poppy plant they are harvested from. In modern times, growing poppy seeds is a difficult business for American farmers, due to the risk of heroin—which is derived from poppies—being produced.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Other countries have fewer difficulties with permitting the growth of poppies for the seeds alone, which have very low (but not zero) levels of opium alkaloids, such as morphine. As other countries began imitating the American muffin, the occasional use of poppy seeds to flavor them spread as well. Although poppy seeds cannot be used as a narcotic due to very low levels of opium alkaloids,[11] they do have enough that drug tests often report false positives after a drug-free person eats a few poppyseed muffins.[12] In one reported case the UAE jailed a man for four years after poppy seeds from a roll he had eaten at an airport were found on his clothes.[13]

Lemon is commonly paired with poppyseeds in muffin-making.

Nutrition

Harvard University's Nutrition Source states that while many fruit muffins may seem "...to be a better breakfast than their donut neighbors" at your local coffeeshop, with their "...often refined flours, high sodium, and plenty of added sugar...and large portion size, they're far from the optimal food choice to start your day."[14] Consumers think that commercial muffins are a healthier choice than donuts; however, according to Registered Dietician Karen Collins, yeast or raised donuts have from 170 to 270 calories each (cake doughnuts have from 290 to 360 calories), while large bakery muffins have from 340 to 630 calories each and 11 to 27 grams of total fat.[10] "Most muffins are deceptively high in fats", with up to 40% fat content, which many consumers are not aware of.[6]

The type of muffin can have a big impact on its fat and sugar content; one major fast food chain's low-fat berry muffin has 300 calories, whereas the same restaurant's chocolate chunk muffin has 620 calories.[15] Harvard's Nutrition Source recommends smaller-sized, whole-grain muffins with reduced sugar content, liquid plant oil instead of shortening or butter, and added wholesome foods such as nuts (or nut flour), beans (or bean flour), or fresh fruit or vegetables.[14]

Muffin tops

The muffin top is the crisp upper part of the muffin, which has developed a "browned crust that's slightly singed around the edges".[16] They were the focus of a 1997 Seinfeld sitcom episode, "The Muffin Tops" (episode 21 of season 8), where the character Elaine, who only eats the tops when she buys a muffin, realizes that a bakery selling just the tops could be successful. Once the business is running, she has to figure out what to do with the muffin bottoms, which proves difficult.

In 2018, McDonald's restaurant announced they were planning to sell muffin tops as part of their McCafe breakfast menu.[17]

Bakeware and baking aids

File:Muffin pan.jpg
A typical muffin pan

Muffin tins and muffin pans are typically metal bakeware which has round bowl-shaped depressions into which muffin batter is poured. Muffin tins or pans can be greased with butter or cooking spray, to lessen the issue of batter sticking to the pan. Alternatively, muffin cups or cases are used. Cups or cases are usually round sheets of foil, or silicone[18] with scallop-pressed edges, giving the muffin a round cup shape. They are used in the baking of muffins to line the bottoms of muffin tins, to facilitate the easy removal of the finished muffin from the tin. The advantage to cooks is easier removal and cleanup, more precise form, and moister muffins; however, using them will prevent a crust from forming.

A variety of sizes for muffin cases are available. Slightly different sizes are considered "standard" in different countries. Miniature cases are commonly Script error: No such module "convert". in diameter at the base and Script error: No such module "convert". tall. Standard-size cases range from Script error: No such module "convert". in diameter at the base and are Script error: No such module "convert". tall. Some jumbo-size cases can hold more than twice the capacity of standard cases. Australian and Swedish bakers are accustomed to taller paper cases with a larger diameter at the top than American and British bakers.[19]

Gallery of quickbread muffin flavors

As symbols

American muffins appear as state symbols in three US states:

See also

References

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  1. ↑ Notes and Queries: Medium of Inter-Communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc., Volume 1, Oxford University Press, 1850. p. 253.
  2. ↑ R. Thoresby in a letter dated 27 Apr. 1703 and quoted by J. Ray in 1848. vide: The correspondence of J. Ray, consisting of selections from the philosophical letters published by Dr. Derham and original letters of J. Ray in the collection of the British Museum (1848) p. 425
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "template wrapper". Template:OEDsub
  4. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b American muffins at cakebaker.co.uk; retrieved 3 Sept 2017
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g Wrigley, Colin W; Corke, Harold; Seetharaman, Koushik; Faubion, Jonathan. Encyclopedia of Food Grains. Academic Press, 2015. p. 33-34
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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