Blueberry Muffins

Leisurely summer vacation or weekend breakfasts are a perfect time for muffins. There might be yogurt and fresh berries, overnight oats, or a frittata, but a warm, freshly baked muffin fits in so well to a July or August breakfast where nobody is checking the time and the biggest decision is whether to go the beach in the morning or afternoon.  

To my mind, there is no better muffin for this summer breakfast bliss than blueberry, where the warm berries exude their wonderful juices on the first bite. In the early days of Seven Layers, I tried several recipes and decided on the one below. In a batch of twenty-four muffins, they were part of the morning repertoire when I opened the shop and remained throughout each summer, displayed in a large wicker basket among the croissant, brioche, yeast coffee cakes, and other muffins.

The assembly of the ingredients follows the classic muffin method. The dry ingredients are mixed together in a bowl, the blueberries are added, the liquid ingredients are mixed together in a separate bowl then added to the dry ingredients. The key is mixing just until the flour is moistened, as overmixing results in a tough muffin.

This is a great recipe to bring to a summer house, as most ingredients are common things probably in your refrigerator. The only special equipment you might need from home is a muffin pan and pan liners.  Mix together the dry ingredients, wash the blueberries, grate the orange rind, and line the muffin pans the night to make things easy and fast in the morning.

I am generally not a fan of eating baked goods (cookies, pound cakes, croissant) until they have properly cooled, but muffins are another story. A warm blueberry muffin, sometimes with a little butter spread on the inside, is truly a delight. When testing this old recipe from the handwritten original, I tried two versions; one topped with a sprinkling of Demerara sugar and one with a crumb topping. I was unsure which I liked better, so I offer them both.