The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
4
Ingredients
- recipe Forki French style 12 in metal mold + + 4 in silicone mold
- 150 g150 grs (3 eggs)
- 150 g150 grams
- 30 g30 grams
- tip
- 140 g100 grams
- 1 teaspoon1 teaspoon coffee
- 210 g210 grams
- 10 g10 grams
- 1 1
Ingredients
- Flank Steak Gastronomy
- 170 g170 grams
- 210 g125 grams
- 210 g210 grams
- 6 10.5 grams
- 210 g210 grams
- pinch
- 1 1
- pinch
- 160 175ºC-20’
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (Approx.)
Calories
58 kcal
Protein
5 g
Fat
4 g
Carbohydrates
0 g
Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.
Step-by-step Guide
After 3-4 hours or preferably the next day
- If we have rigid molds, the muffins will rise better. It is preferable to use metal molds instead of silicone, as the shape of the mold determines the final shape of the muffin; with metal molds, the characteristic bump forms in the middle.
- Important: We must have a flat metal tray to bake the muffins. It is crucial that when the muffins enter the oven, they reach the maximum possible temperature in the shortest time on the base side, which facilitates their rise.
- One and a half hours before baking, we will brush the molds with melted butter and lightly flour them. To remove excess flour, gently tap the mold upside down against the countertop.
- Important: Place the greased and floured molds in the freezer for at least one hour to achieve better results in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 220 ºC, 45 minutes in advance so it is at the optimal temperature at the time of baking.
- Place the rack on the second guide from the bottom of the oven to ensure even cooking.
- When ready to bake, take the batter out of the refrigerator, gently stir it to homogenize, and transfer it to a pastry bag with a large nozzle. This is to prevent the batter from losing air when it passes through the nozzle.
- Remove the molds from the freezer and quickly place them on a flat tray, without losing too much cold.
- Fill the muffin molds up to 3/4 of their capacity. Avoid overfilling to allow the batter to rise properly.
- If using metal molds of Ø 8 cm, fill with approximately 60 grams of batter.
- If using individual silicone molds, fill with approximately 45 grams of batter.
- Sprinkle a little white sugar on top of each muffin to form a crunchy crust when baking.
- Bake the muffins at 220 ºC for the initial 4 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to 175 ºC and continue for an additional 15 minutes, making a total baking time of 20 minutes. After several experiments with other temperatures and times, I have chosen this combination as it offers a good result.
Questions to Consider When Making the
- One egg contributes approximately 75% moisture. Keep this in mind when planning your recipe.
- One egg is equivalent to about 50 ml of milk. If you're missing an egg, you can add 50 ml of milk as a substitute.
- Oil versus butter: When substituting oil for butter, keep in mind the proportion, as 125 grams of butter are equivalent to 100 ml of oil. Adjust the quantities as necessary.
- 125 grams of butter are equivalent to 100 ml of oil. You can make this substitution while maintaining the quality and consistency of your recipe.
- To enhance the lemon flavor, use lemon zest prepared in advance.
- To boost the flavor, pastry chef X. Barriga recommends zesting the lemon a few days in advance, adding a bit of sugar, and freezing it. Take it out of the freezer on the day you need it for a fresh and intense flavor.
- Infuse the lemon peel with warm oil. Heat the oil to about 60 degrees Celsius and submerge the lemon peel in it. Allow it to cool completely before use to ensure a rich flavor.
Sugar
- You can use any type of sugar: white, brown, cane, or muscovado. Keep in mind that using too little will result in muffins with little color and large holes in the crumb. On the other hand, excessive sugar can cause the batter to overflow from the mold like a volcano, ruining the shape during baking. Add the sugar during the initial mixing and ensure it is well integrated before proceeding with the other ingredients.
Flour
- It's important to use Soft flour, also known as Pastry Flour at the supermarket. This flour is low in gluten, making it ideal for muffin preparation.
- Adding more flour than necessary will result in muffins that are low in volume, dry, compact, and pale in color. Make sure to measure the exact amount indicated in the recipe to avoid this issue.
Booster
- A chemical leavening agent (NOT yeast) should be used because it does not need to ferment. It's important to use the right amount: too little, and the batter will not rise properly; too much, and it will overflow the mold.
- The leavening agent can be the typical Royal baking powder or the gasifier from Hacendado. You can also use packets of Litines Gasifier (consisting of a pair: one packet of each type that must be used together), which can be purchased at Mercadona.
- When beating the eggs, it is better to do so at a low speed, but enough to avoid over-sugarulation. This is different from what we would do with egg whites for meringue, where we would use a high speed. This way, we achieve a more stable texture that doesn't collapse during baking.
- If we want the batter to be very fluffy, the eggs should be beaten for about 10-15 minutes until they whiten and double in volume.
- To ensure proper leavening, the batter must rest for 24 hours in the refrigerator in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in contact with the surface of the batter, or at least overnight (minimum 12 hours). If you want to make them the same day, the batter must rest for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- The chemical leavening agent acts through moisture and temperature, so it's important to let the batter rest for a few hours to become moistened before baking. The longer it rests, the more bubbles you will see on the surface of the batter, which is positive for achieving a fluffy texture.
Molds
- It is also important that the molds are rigid; it is better to use metal ones, as they withstand heat better and ensure even baking.
- It is important to leave the empty molds in the freezer for at least one hour before filling them for baking, but first, they must be well greased with butter and floured to prevent sticking.
- Fill the molds up to 3/4 of their capacity. Make sure not to fill them to the top to allow the batter to rise without overflowing.
- Use a piping bag to distribute the batter. If the outlet hole is too small, the batter will compress when passing through and lose internal air, which will cause the muffins not to rise properly.
Baked
- There are many recipes that recommend baking muffins at different temperatures, depending on the desired outcome.
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC before starting.
- Bake the muffins and maintain the temperature at 220ºC for 6 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature to 180ºC and continue baking for another 10 minutes (total baking time: 16 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC before placing the muffins.
- Bake the muffins keeping the temperature at 220ºC for 4 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to 180ºC and leave them in the oven for an additional 14 minutes (total baking time: 17 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
- Bake the muffins directly.
- Reduce the temperature to 180ºC and continue baking for 16 more minutes (total baking time: 16 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
- Bake the muffins immediately.
- Reduce the temperature to 175ºC and continue baking for another 20 minutes (total baking time: 20 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 250ºC.
- Place the muffins in the oven.
- Reduce the temperature to 220ºC and keep them in the oven for another 15 minutes (total baking time: 15 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Bake the muffins for 4 minutes at this temperature.
- Lower the temperature to 180ºC and continue for an additional 10 minutes (total baking time: 14 minutes).
Recommendations & Tricks
- Before starting, ensure you have all ingredients at room temperature, especially the eggs, butter, and milk, to guarantee a better batter texture.
- It is highly recommended to let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours to enhance flavors and achieve a fluffier texture. If you're in a hurry, a minimum of 4 hours will also suffice.
- The recipe has a French style, so if you want to intensify this style, use high-quality butter and authentic vanilla extract.
- If you use silicone molds, make sure they are clean and dry to prevent the muffins from losing their shape or sticking.
- Preheat the oven to 180 ºC before starting to fill the molds to ensure the cooking temperature remains steady for a more uniform bake.
- Fill the metal molds up to three-quarters of their capacity to prevent the muffins from overflowing during baking.