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
Muffin recipes are usually made with a simple batter including vegetable oil. This makes them softer and less dense and sturdy than a cupcake made from butter-based cake batter.
When making blueberry muffins What should you do to the blueberries to keep them in suspension? ›
Dust the berries with a little flour before stirring them into the batter to help keep them suspended. If that doesn't work, leave the berries out of the batter.
What was the original muffin? ›
One 19th century source suggests that muffin may be related to the Greek bread maphula, a 'cake baked on a hearth or griddle', or from Old French mou-pain 'soft bread', which may have been altered into mouffin.
Who made the first blueberry muffin? ›
Some people theorize that the Europeans began using wild blueberries in place of bilberries in their recipes, including in muffins, thus giving birth to the blueberry muffin. Today, blueberry muffins are an extremely popular food and options run the gamut from healthy to decadent.
What makes muffins heavy? ›
Flour. Your choice of flour also has a bearing on how light and fluffy your muffins will be. Whole grain flour, and other grain ingredients such as oats and bran, tend to make your muffins denser and heavier.
What is the secret to high muffins? ›
Chilling your muffin batter overnight in the fridge is the BEST thing you can do for amazing muffins. It makes them more moist, tender, and TALLER! It's very similar to chilling cookie dough, which if you know me you know I'm obsessed with chilling cookie dough.
Should I coat blueberries in flour for muffins? ›
Coating the berries with a spoonful of the recipe's dry ingredients prevents sinking. Instead, it helps the berries adhere to the batter, keeping them well distributed throughout the muffin. And if you're using frozen blueberries, the flour will also help minimize how much the berries bleed into the batter.
Is it better to use fresh or frozen blueberries for blueberry muffins? ›
Fresh or frozen blueberries work great! This tried-and-true recipe is a keeper, and the only one you need if you've been looking for a straightforward, go-to blueberry muffin recipe!
Should you put flour on blueberries before baking? ›
The light coating of flour around the berries will absorb some of the fruit's liquid, making them less likely to sink. This is especially helpful when the batter is thin; thicker batters are a little better at cradling the fruit and keeping it suspended.
What do English people call muffins? ›
United Kingdom
English muffins are usually referred to simply as muffins in the UK; sweet American-style muffins are occasionally referred to as American muffins to differentiate.
Blueberry muffins are a classic favorite and the most popular muffin in America. They have a sweet, fruity flavor and are often served as a breakfast or brunch item.
What is the difference between a blueberry muffin and a blueberry cupcake? ›
The fluffy batter is what gives cupcakes their soft, spongy texture. Muffins, on the other hand, are moist and dense. Another important difference between a cupcake and a muffin is that cupcakes tend to have more sugar and so they're a lot sweeter than muffins.
What are some interesting facts about blueberry muffins? ›
Blueberries contain anthocyanin, which is good for eyesight. The blueberry is the official state fruit of New Jersey. According to fatsecret.com, there are 385 calories in one large blueberry muffin. The favorite muffin in the US is, of course, the blueberry muffin.
How to get domed muffins? ›
When I was researching muffin recipes for #weeknightbakingbook, I discovered that muffins dome really well when first baked at a high temperature like 425 (F). Doing so encourages the baking powder in the batter to react faster, causing the muffins to rise more quickly in the oven.
How do you make baked goods less dense? ›
Add a Touch of Baking Powder or Baking Soda
When a cake is too dense, one might think that adding extra flour will soak up more moisture and lighten up the crumb. However, that's not usually the case. The cake likely needs more leavening support from baking powder or baking soda.
How do you keep muffins moist and fluffy? ›
The Best Way to Store Muffins
- STEP ONE: Let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack.
- STEP TWO: Line an airtight storage container with paper towels.
- STEP THREE: Place muffins in the container, on top of the paper towels.
- STEP FOUR: Place an additional paper towel layer on top of the muffins.
Six common baking-fails, and how they can be prevented. Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).
