Homemade Muffins

Muffins  started out as a type of small cake, as an alternative to cornbread. Early muffin recipes tend to result in less sweet muffins with far fewer ingredients than their contemporaries. Muffins then became widely regarded as a breakfast food because they were easy to prepare and cooked in a short amount of time.
Because muffins grew stale so quickly, they were not marketed as a baked good until the middle of the 20th century. Packaged muffin mixes were introduced to the marketplace in the 1950s. Muffins went on to be marketed as an alternative to doughnuts in the 1960s. (More about that)

Restaurant chains featuring coffee-shop style surroundings appeared and began to feature an assortment of muffins....

Cafes' muffins are not in a stable environment like your kitchen, they get transported from the bakery to the shop, and put in the stands. Thus, preservatives are put and special packaging is made to make muffins last longer and not spoil quickly.

Preservatives are widely used ingredients in the food industry to keep the food fresh and reach our homes before they get ruined and expired. They can be anything ranging simply from sugars, salts to chemicals.  PRESERVATIVES  are considered Food Additives, such as  Ascorbic acid ( vitamin C), calcium sulfate..etc. They are GRAS ( generally recognized as safe) and they are put in a limited amounts as instructed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Muffin contain additives such as leavening agents :  baking soda and baking powder.  According to FDA, baking soda is Self-rising Cornmeal and is  GRAS. Baking powder consists of baking soda, one or more acid salts (cream of tartar and sodium aluminum sulfate) plus cornstarch. Tartar and sodium aluminum  sulfate are both GRAS.
These two ingredients cause the muffin batter to rise upon baking.  The leavener enlarges the air bubbles which are already present in the batter produced through creaming and mixing of ingredients.  That is why when using baking powder or baking soda in a recipe, make sure to sift or whisk with the other dry ingredients before adding to the batter to ensure uniformity.  Otherwise the baked good can have large holes. 

To read more about how baking soda and powder work , and the difference from JOY OF BAKING .

Homemade Muffins

Here is a recipe I followed where the muffin can last around 21 days if stored in a fridge and inside a plastic box.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons  cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 3/4 cup chocolate chunks or chips 
• 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup orange juice ( to substitute 1 cup of milk if not lactose intolerant)
• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup orange cuts ( or  lemon peels) to sprinkle over

Directions

Special equipment: Muffin tin with paper muffin cases

1. Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees Celsius ( 400 F).
2. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into a large bowl.
3.  Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring jug. 
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together.Remember: that a lumpy batter makes the best muffins. 
5. Spoon into the prepared muffin cases. Sprinkle the orange cuts or lemon peels on top and then bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are dark, risen and springy.

Muffins Fresh from the oven !

Time to prepare: 10 min

Time to Bake:20 min
Time for storage (Shelf  Life): 3 weeks!!!!! 

Result:

Fluffy Muffins for the first week!Upon storage: Nothing major happened such as growth of molds. The texture only changed. The muffin dried and crumbled into little pieces after 3 weeks! The water has def. evaporated which explains the lack of mold. 

STARBUCKS Muffins:

Starbucks offering a muffin in their cafes

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (129 g)

Calories 370Calories from Fat 120 % Daily Value* Total Fat 14g22% Saturated Fat 6g30% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 85mg28% Sodium 320mg14% Total Carbohydrate 55g19% Dietary Fiber <1g td="td">4% Sugars 29g Protein 6g Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 20% Iron 6% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Ingredients IN COMPARISON WITH STARBUCKS

Comparison based on weight ( grams) of ingredients per muffin ( one serving)

The differences are slight. Rest assured. Muffins in cafe's have a high turnover rate. That could be one explanation that they don't put alot of preservatives.The next step would be comparing them to those of supermarket.Yet, as I always say moderation is the best health protection strategy.
If you liked this post, you might also like : Why I don't Like Ready Mixes!