Muffins

Every baker needs a plain muffin in their back pocket, and this is that recipe: flour, milk, egg, oil, and just enough sugar to round the edges. Mix it in one bowl, and you have a warm batch ready before the coffee finishes brewing.

Because it is only lightly sweet, the base swings either way. Leave it plain for a tender, biscuit-like muffin to split with butter and jam, or fold in fruit, chips, or spices and make it your own.

The one rule that separates a good muffin from a tough, peaked one: stir the wet into the dry only until the flour disappears. The batter should look lumpy and rough, not smooth. Overmixing builds gluten, which gives you dense muffins with pointy tops and tunnels inside.

Drop the batter into the cups, bake until golden, and eat them hot. They are best the day they are made.

Pro Tips

• Lumpy batter is the goal; a smooth, glossy batter means you stirred too much.
• Spoon and level your flour rather than scooping; packed flour makes dry, heavy muffins.
• Fill the cups two-thirds full for a domed top with room to rise.

Variations

• Fold in fresh blueberries, tossed in a little flour so they don’t sink.
• Add chocolate chips and a splash of vanilla for a kid-friendly batch.
• Stir in cinnamon and diced apple, or lemon zest and poppy seeds.