Sheet Pan Muffins Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the most important rule to follow when baking muffins? ›

Don't over stir

The most important rule of muffin making is to not over stir the mix. Instead, what you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Resist the temptation to stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, thick and floury.

Method 1: Paper cupcake liners can work without a cupcake tray, especially if you are careful not to overfill the liners. You can then place them in a snug pan that will keep 5-6 paper liners upright.

Start with room-temperature ingredients.

Having eggs, butter, and milk at room temperature helps them form a smooth mixture that traps air and expands when heated in the oven. That expansion makes your muffins fluffy and light. Room-temperature butter should indent easily when you press it.

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.

The Drawbacks To Not Using Liners

There are a few downsides to keep in mind if you're baking cupcakes this way: Cooking sprays and batters can contribute to the wear and tear of your muffin pan (especially if anything sticks and you have to pry it out.)

First, cut a sheet of parchment into five-to-six-inch squares. Then, place the squares over the holes in the muffin tin, and use the heel of a small glass to mold the paper into the indent.

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 temperature do you bake muffins at? ›

Bake at 350°F (177°C) the whole time. Standard Size Muffins or Mini Muffins: For standard size muffins baked in a 12-count muffin pan, reduce baking time to about 20 total minutes: 5 initial minutes at 425°F and 15 minutes at 350°F. Yields 14-15 standard size muffins.

Depending on what ingredients you're using, the batter will range from runny (like thin cake batter) to very thick (like drop-cookie dough). As a general rule, the thinner the batter, the lighter the muffins will be when baked. But don't be afraid to bake thick, gloppy batter.

And if you bake more than twelve muffins or cupcakes at a time, it's worth investing in multiple pans so you can pop two in the oven at the same time for identical results.

The purpose of this method is to limit the amount of gluten production during the mixing process, keeping quick breads light and tender. To achieve this, the dry ingredients are combined in one bowl, the wet ingredients are combined in a separate bowl, and then the two mixtures are combined together.

#1 Read through the recipe

Make sure to quickly skim the recipe before you start baking to understand the general flow and key steps. You can even make notes on the recipe or highlight key points to help you along.

"My golden rule for baking is make it cold and bake it hot," she said. Use Grated Butter for Flakey Crust.