Evening star., 1916-08-01
MUFFINS FOR YOUR BREAKFAST.

Anybody who understands the science
of muffin making has no need Of rec
ipe book when it comes TO preparing
these delectable breakfast or luncheon
breads.
There are really only four essential
ingredients to muftins-liquid, salt. -four
and leavening agent. Mullins would
still be mullins without salt. but they
would soon prove unpalatable. Hence
salt is considered essential
Shortening. flavors such as fruit and
eggs are also generally used in muffins
In some popovers for instance, the eggs
are the leavening agent.
Mullins are made from a thick batter
which has twice as much -four as liquid.
Again popovers are an exception. for
they are made from thin batter with
equal parts Of liquid and -four
Mullins are much like cake, with the
essential difference that they are not SO
sweet-in fact. i'll some cases they are
not sweet at all--:hat they contain usu-
ally much less shortening and that they
are eaten when :sar;n or very fresh. The
fact that mullins are usually eaten with
butter makes q generous amount of
shortening in the making unnecessary
Mullins should always be baked in a
quick, hot oven. They depend on the
quic,s heat for part of their rising, and
popovers and other very light and deli
cate mullins should always be poured
/ into heated cups or pans. Stoneware
custard cups, with rounded bases, are
the best dishes i'll which to cook pop
overs as they maintain an even heat
better than tins do. The fact that muf-
fins must be cooked in quick oven
makes it especially necessary to pro-
tect them from burning. a small pan
of water placed on the bottom of the
oven floor helps TO keep the heat in the
oven even and does much to prevent
burning.
Experience alone with individual
| ovens and different mullins batters,
with weather and the cooking dishes
. used teaches the cook the length Of
time mullins need for proper baking.
/ PopOyerS which depend for their light
| ness on the fact that the batter cooks
around the expanded air which is
| beaten into them and the steam which
b generates in their cooking. should be
! cooked a little more slowly than a
Z soldier muffin which contains baking
powder. So. although Dopovers should
/ be put into hot dishes and into Il very
4 hot oven, the heat should be some
Z what reduced after the first ten min
utes. For by that time the crust
/ around the expanded air will have
formed and should be given time for
Z thorough cooking. Many of the whit g
hour mullins need only fifteen minutes
cooking in quick oven.
For the sake OF good digestion muf-
fins should he removed from the oven
, and from their pans ten minutes before
they are eaten. They should be turned
ON a wiz" frame. y the time of eating
they viii then be warm but they viii
not be sCgsy and they viii not be hot
and sOggy bread is sure enemy tc
good digestion. Mullins cooled in thi,
way can be eaten without danger OF
discomfort by almost any one.
The question is sometimes asked a,
TO how much time should be allowed
before breakfast for making mullins
/ BY working backward. ten minutes i!
needed for the cooling. fifteen or twent,
for the baking and five ten for tn,
mixing. deft cook can easily put to
/ gether dozen mullins III five minutes
One good mullins receipt is wortl
I haif d dozen poor ones. For the on
good receipt can be made the basis o
six or eight different sorts of muffin.
! The receipt is simply varied to Civ
, the desired results; for instance if yo,
and half white -four. with d little NOR
salt than usual because cornmeai need
salt to bring out its flavor. For graham
mullins use half or little more thai
half graham -four. and for whole whea
mullins substitute the whole wheat fou
IN the same proportions. The reaso
why white flour is used in these differ
= ent kinds Of mufffns is because the US
. OF ali graham, whole wheat or corn
meal would make very heavy muffir
The bbsa same mup receipt sss can be ysss
: ries on hand add half a cupfui to
twelve -muffin batter. Tho berrie
should be dry. as the moisture tina
proportion Of liquid and fiour. Choppe
| broiled bacon can also be added to rauf