Creating a Kefir Muffin Recipe

I was asked to rescue a soon-to-be expired 'expensive' ingredient called Kefir. Since it was a fermented dairy I sought recipes that might include sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt. To save time, I decided to create my own recipe. The 'look' and taste indicated muffin success.

A pumpkin muffin recipe I'd created was found that included both buttermilk and yogurt. And so the experiment began. I measured all the dry ingredients, using organic flour, and some organic sprouted buckwheat flour, then whisked them together, aerating them in the process. Into this dry mix I added the baking powder, soda, salt, one grated apple in addition to grated nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger. (The apple had been sitting on the counter). The baking powder and soda were left till the end. I did not want the moisture, in the air, acting on these two leaveners thus reducing their effectiveness, later, in the oven.

Into another bowl I added the wet ingredients: 2 cups of the soon-to-expire Kefir, 4 eggs, vanilla, salt, honey, 3-4 tablespoons of organic sugar and some organic oil. The wet ingredients were added to the dry. All were mixed until just combined. The batter seemed stiff so into it went another cup of Kefir. The remainder of a streusel topping, from an apple crisp recipe, was added to the top of the muffins for added yummy flavour. Into the oven went the muffins. The result was tender, delicious muffins. With the second bottle of Kefir, another batch of muffins were made in addition to two small coffee cakes laden with cinnamon inside and more streusel crumb-topping on top.

Sometimes, ingredients accrue in the refrigerator, in the cupboard or on the kitchen counter. It makes sense to use them quickly saving them from being thrown out. Kefir is expensive. It takes time to create it. It is a nutrient dense product, a newly discovered one for me. I was made aware of it a couple years ago. Now, I was asked to do something with it and so I did. The fermented product seemed to have a tenderizing effect on the gluten strands in the organic all-purpose flour used. Those were expensive, but delicious muffins, I had to admit.

When creating any new recipe, I decide on the characteristics I am looking for and go from there. A fermented ingredient requires baking soda, I have learned. Keeping track of the ingredients, methods used and pan sizes are important, too. There are times when I might want to duplicate the recipe just created. In my cookbooks, I make notations, always, especially when reducing quantities of sugar, dairy or fat. When introducing 'exotic' flours, I consider their unique properties before adding other ingredients to help these fine milled grains 'operate' in the recipe. The addition of cooled tea or coffee (I do not drink coffee) to batters and doughs helps to augment flavour and taste. Baking can also be about experimentation.

In the bounty of summer, fresh fruits and berries can be frozen for late winter baking. All manner of ingredients can be then incorporated to produce new and exciting items baked fresh from the home oven or outdoor barbecue. With any new creation, time in the oven is uppermost in my mind. In a few cases, I have set the oven temperature slightly higher than normal, for a short period of time, to allow for the the initial blast of high heat to lift the newly created product. After fifteen minutes or so, I reduce the temperature to allow baking to continue without drying out the item. In the case of the newly created Kefir muffins. I set the temperature a bit higher to help lift then reduced heat to help bake them. Muffins do not take long to bake.

A new barbecue was purchased late last fall. The one I had been using was rusted and falling apart. Only a simple four burner 'oven' was acceptable. Other configurations would simply throw me off my game. Baking outdoors in the 'hot box' might then become a challenge. I could not accept that. Simplifying life is also an important feature of mine. Using an overabundance of apples to make apple pie, apple cake, applesauce, apple crisp are some of my delicious options. I have taken the crumb topping, selected for the apple crisp, to a new level, now, making it gluten-free. We now have Kefir muffins with a yummy streusel topping. What a discovery! 

Two years ago, I changed a pound cake recipe. Instead of adding 1 cup of apple cider, I added 1 cup of apple cider vinegar. The mistake was discovered on the day of the birthday. Most thought it a very 'strong' and odd tasting cake. Two people loved it. Now, I know. Even errors in baking can have positive results.