A few months ago I went into a tirade about all the insipid muffins sold today. Too sweet, too mushy, too much like cake. Well, that's not the case with the humble muffins you see pictured here. I baked them to serve with the meatball soup I made a few days ago. I wasn't sure how they would taste, but the recipe comes from Deborah Madison. I figured she wouldn't let me down and she didn't. Made with whole wheat flour, rye flour, and cornmeal, they were absolutely delicious. They taste the way muffins were once prepared before the likes of Otis Spunkmeyer warped the quick bread industry. Sorry if I've offended any Otis fans. I know the company is very popular and sells millions of muffins each year. Just let me say this about Otis: imitation vanilla. 'Nuff said. I'm about to go on a rant again. So, just make the muffins. They're very, very good.
Corn-Rye Muffins (Deborah Madison from Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 to 4 tablespoons sulfured molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs or 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
1 cup milk
1/3 cup corn or canola oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin pan. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wets in another, then combine both of them and stir together quickly. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake until they've risen and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
interesting. i surely would not have thought of a rye/corn pairing. deborah madison surely is a goddess :)
imitation vanil? ick. id been using some organic vanilla i had bought when i was still living in michigan but i ran out one day when i needed another tabelspoon. my mother had some of the mccormick stuff. oh my lord. what a difference. the alcohol smell nearly knocked me on my arse. vanilla is just one of those things people need to accept they have to spend money on to get a good product.
Posted by: violet | March 28, 2006 at 11:54 AM
Hi Violet,
Yes, the combination of rye and corn works very well here. The muffin wasn't heavy like you would think, from so much whole grains flour. I aso agree about vanilla. Once you have the quality vanilla, you can't go back to the cheap stuff.
Posted by: sher | March 28, 2006 at 02:54 PM
Otis Spunkmeyer--shudder. Ick. These muffins, however, look fantastic. I used to hate the taste of rye as a kid/teenager but now love it and actually crave it at times. Would anything other than molasses work though? Just wondering.
Posted by: Shannon | March 28, 2006 at 03:15 PM
Shannon,
I bet you could use honey or maple syrup or anything that has the consistancy of the molasses. I was surrpised at how these muffins tasted. I thought the rye would overwhelm things--but it didn't. Personally, I think the shape of the muffins looks like those South Park kids.
Posted by: sher | March 28, 2006 at 05:00 PM
mmm... I love muffins of all kinds. And what an interesting combo, too.
Posted by: kristi | March 31, 2006 at 07:18 AM
Kristi,
It is an interesating combo. And I really was happy to see how good it tasted, despite not being all tricked up with a lot of bells and whistles.
Posted by: sher | March 31, 2006 at 10:05 AM
Don't be so fast to diss imitation vanilla: awhile back the Cooks Illustrated people raved about the imitation vanilla from -- get this -- the pharmacy CVS. I came home with a bottle from North Carolina this week -- thanks for the reminded that the cooler's still unpacked in the trunk! PS Now the muffins ... THEY look great.
Posted by: Alanna | March 31, 2006 at 02:37 PM
Alanna,
Uh-oh!! I've left a cooler or bags of groceries in the trunk! :) Not good. I get Cook's Illustrated and I vaquely remember something about the vanilla. Good to know.
Posted by: sher | March 31, 2006 at 04:20 PM