George's Buttermilk Muffins Recipe
house made cornbread muffins
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Ingredients
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Muffin Batter
Topping (optional)
Method
Muffin Batter
- 1
Preheat and prepare pan
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a 12-cup muffin tin in the oven while preheating (this helps give a quick oven spring). Alternatively, line a muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup.
- 2
Combine dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt until evenly distributed. These dry components provide structure and leavening; whisking prevents pockets of baking powder or soda.
- 3
Whisk wet ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, melted (and slightly cooled) butter, honey, and vegetable oil until smooth. The buttermilk and eggs add moisture and tenderness; the melted butter and oil add richness and help keep the crumb tender.
- 4
Combine wet and dry
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the batter gently until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix — a few small streaks of flour or cornmeal are fine. Overmixing will toughen the muffins.
- 5
Adjust consistency
The batter should be thick but scoopable — slightly thicker than pancake batter. If it seems excessively thick (difficult to scoop), add up to 2 tablespoons extra buttermilk to loosen, one tablespoon at a time. If too thin, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour.
- 6
Portion batter
Remove the hot muffin tin from the oven (if you preheated it inside) and lightly grease or line cups if necessary. Divide the batter evenly among 12 cups, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 full (use an ice cream scoop or 1/4-cup measuring cup for even muffins).
Baking and Finishing
- 7
- 8
Bake
Bake in the preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 15–18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through if your oven has hot spots. Muffins are done when the tops are golden, a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter), and the tops spring back lightly when touched.
- 9
Cool
Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes. Then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature; store in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or freeze for longer storage.