Blank Slate Muffins

Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Ingredients

• Flour options:
  • 2 cups (212g) pastry flour
  • 2 cups (240g) All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats and 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Leavener optons:
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp baking soda (for muffins containing acidic ingredients, such as buttermilk)
• 1 cup (227g) milk or buttermilk
• Fat options:
  • 1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil
  • 4 tablespoons (57g) butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups optional add ins (to make sure berries or fruit stay evenly distributed throughout the batter, add to the dry ingredients and mix until coated before adding the liquid ingredients):
  • Berries
  • Finely chopped, well-drained fresh fruit: peaches, apples, etc.
  • Chopped dried fruit

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly grease the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Or line the cups with papers, and grease the papers.
2. Blend together the dry ingredients (except baking soda, if using). Mix in fruit, if using.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the baking soda and liquid ingredients together — milk, oil or butter, eggs, and vanilla — until light.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Take a fork or wire whisk and blend the two briefly – stopping before you think you have mixed them well. It’s OK to leave some lumps.
5. Fill the cups of the muffin pan two-thirds to three-quarters full.
6. Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean, or with a few crumbs attached.
7. Remove them from the oven and remove form pan to cooling rack as soon as you can.