Hi
I had to share this. About a month ago, someone posted a recipe
claiming to be the authentic Jordan Marsh Muffins on the ne.food group I
read. I countered with ‘Martha and Gus’s Muffins” which my mother had
clipped from a paper decades ago (also ostensibly the REAL THING). Today, I
get the message below from a guy who was cruising around on the internet.
———-
> From: “Ed Roberts”
> Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2002 21:09:07 -0500
> To: [emailprotected]
> Subject: Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins
>
>
> Hi
> I saw your post on Google for JM muffins. I thought that you would get a
> kick out of this story.
> My aunt worked in the JM bake shop for years. She did a big favor for the
> baker. He asked if there was anything that he could do for her. She asked
> for the recipe for the blueberry muffins. He explained that “The Recipe”
> was a closely guarded secret and besides “The Recipe” was for 25 dozen. He
> said that he would give her “A Recipe” for a couple dozen blueberry muffins.
> With a wink he gave her “A Recipe”.
> A few years latter she called the Gus Saunders show and offered a blueberry
> muffin recipe. The way the show worked was if someone wanted to hear the
> recipe they would call Saunders and he would ask the original caller to
> call back. My aunt read the receipe on the air. She told Gus that it was a
> recipe that she found on the street. She called them “trash can muffins”
> For the next few days people were calling Gus’ show saying that they tasted
> just like the JM muffins. Gus asked for the person who gave the recipe to
> call back. My aunt didn’t..she was having too much fun being mysterious.
> The recipe that you posted is exactly the recipe that she gave me about 35
> years ago. I’m pretty confident that it is a cut down version of the real
> thing.
>
> Enjoy
> Ed
What I had posted was (including the recipe) :
“I was the original poster– looking for a cook book collection of old
Boston recipes. As it happens the one recipe I have is a recipe that
approximates Jordan’s.
I have it on no authority that this is the authentic recipe, since there are
about a dozen floating around claiming to be “the one”. However I have made
this over the last 30 years and it comes close. Buttermilk and cake flour
seem to be the secret to the cottony interior texture that most muffins
lack.
I have no idea who “Martha and Gus” are but I wonder if Gus is Gus Saunders
who for years did the Yankee Kitchen call-in show on the radio.
Powdered buttermilk is an acceptable substitution. Follow directions to reconstitute buttermilk on the package. Cake flour is essential.
Also, this recipe has a lot of strange quantities, so measure carefully.
Once I experimented with lopping off all the odd tablespoons, but the end
result was tougher, so I reverted back to the original. Whether you use
blueberries as prescribed, or divide the batter and make some with finely
diced apples, dates, cranberries, raspberries or bananas, this is a really
great recipe.
If you have them, use those giant muffin pans, but this still makes quite a
large batch, at least several dozen, so plan to share or freeze!
Martha and Gus’s Muffins
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon solid shortening
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
5 extra large eggs
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon unsifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 2/3 cups cake flour (Soft-as-Silk)
2 pints blueberries or 4 cups other fruit.
2 egg whites, beaten with 1 tablespoon water until frothy
additional sugar
Preheat oven to 400∂. Cream first all purpose flour with salt, shortening,
and sugar. Add eggs all at once and beat 3 minutes with electric mixer.
Add remaining remaining all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder.
Beat again. Blend in buttermilk and vanilla. Add cake flour and beat until
mixed. Batter will be very stiff. Fold in fruit of choice, dividing batter
if you want to make several kinds. Grease muffin tins well and fill 3/4
full. Brush egg white mixture over tops with brush or your fingertips.
Sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Let cool
in tins for 10 minutes, then remove to racks to finish cooling. Batter may
be stored 3 days before baking. I usually add the fruit just before baking,
however.
FAQs
What causes the muffins to be tough, heavy or rubbery? A. Two things: too much egg and using a dark, nonstick pan.
How do you get high peaks on muffins? ›
-Higher oven temperatures combined with darker bakeware allows the sides of the muffin to set before the inside. The higher the temperature, the more intense the peaks. Chilled batter might also help with this, but I wouldn't recommend it because you risk losing your leavening strength.
What are some facts about the Minnesota blueberry muffin? ›
The blueberry muffin was adopted as the state muffin in 1988. The blueberry muffin was adopted as the official muffin of the state of Minnesota in 1988. 1 c. White Chocolate Chips (*optional, but great!)
What color does berry juice turn when added to muffin batter? ›
But pie is one thing. Muffins, scones, cake, and coffeecake are quite another, frozen berries bleeding juice into batter to turn these golden-hued beauties a sickly shade of purple-green.
What is the secret to making moist muffins? ›
How to Make Homemade Muffins Moist: Our Top Tips
- Tips to Make Homemade Muffins Moist.
- Keep Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately.
- Add All Flavorings Last.
- Consider Paper Liners.
- Don't Overfill the Muffin Cups.
- Check the Temperature of Your Oven.
- Test if Muffins Are Fully Cooked.
- Top Your Muffins with Flavor.
The muffins made with oil had a very light and soft texture, they were perfect! The texture of the oil muffins was superior to the texture of the butter muffins. I will also say using butter is probably best in a recipe that doesn't have a lot of flavor add-ins, like a basic muffin recipe.
What does adding an extra egg do to muffins? ›
If there isn't enough egg, your batter or dough may not be able to hold its structure or could end up overly dry or dense. On the other hand, if there is too much egg, your baked goods could lose their shape due to excess liquid, or have a rubbery (or even overly cakey) texture depending on the recipe.
Should muffin batter rest before baking? ›
Rest the Muffin Batter
The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.
What is the blueberry muffin theory? ›
The other was the blueberry muffin model, which posited that electrons were randomly distributed throughout the atom like blueberries in a muffin. The analogies helped those scientists ground their theories, and they help high school students today understand the basics of atomic structure.
What dessert is Minnesota known for? ›
And when it comes to dessert you have Minnesota to thank for bundt cakes - the design we are familiar with today was introduced there in the 1950's by Nordic Ware. You're also likely to see plenty of bars when you visit Minnesota.
As for the second reason, if natural blueberries have little flavor, why are the bits of apples flavored and colored to look and taste like blueberries? Stone informs us that muffin mixes containing actual blueberries always contain artificial flavoring and usually coloring to ”beef up” the taste of the blueberries.
What not to do when making muffins? ›
Overmixing the batter.
When you overmix the batter, it crushes the air bubbles and ruins the fluffy texture. → Follow this tip: To ensure a batch of light, fluffy muffins, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, and no more dry flour is visible.
How to improve blueberry muffin mix? ›
5 Ways To Jazz Up Muffin Mix
- Add Fresh or Frozen Fruit to the Batter. Our Wild Blueberry Muffin Mix comes with a can of blueberries for your convenience, but you can easily add fruit to any of our mixes. ...
- Add a Cream Cheese Filling. ...
- Add Nuts to the Batter. ...
- Add a Sweet Topping. ...
- Make Something Completely Different.
The batter is thick. This prevents the blueberries from sinking and allows the muffins to bake up tall and beautiful. Greek yogurt is used to give the muffins the most tender, delicate texture. The largest, plumpest blueberries burst inside the muffins as they bake.
Why did my muffins turn out tough? ›
Baking muffins at too high temperatures can cause a hard crust to form. Follow recipe directions for the correct temperature to bake the muffins. To insure the correct temperature each time you bake, always use an oven thermometer.
How do you make muffins less tough? ›
Do not overmix! It's tempting to try and get a smooth batter, but lumps are totally fine in muffin batter. To avoid tough muffins, only fold in ingredients until they're just combined. Overmixing will develop gluten and make the muffins tough.
Why are my muffins dense and chewy? ›
If you over mix muffin batter then you will likely end up with dense rubbery muffins. When baking muffins you want to mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients and stir only until they are just combined. This step should literally take a few seconds. A thick and lumpy muffin batter is good.
How do you keep muffins from getting hard? ›
Place paper towels above the muffins to soak up every bit of moisture. Seal with an airtight lid. If the paper towels become damp, replace them every few days. Muffins will last up to four days stored this way.
