lemon poppy seed muffins

The 20th recipe in 2013. (The 16th-19th recipes will be posted later)

The original recipe is from Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller. I do not did not own this book when I tried this recipe (but now do! Yay!). I just googled some recipes reposted by a few American bloggers. Although the original book has metric measurements, but none had been reposted. Hence I just tried to work out my own conversion, which can be the main source of errors. I have also made some adjustments in the amount of sugar and lemon juice.

What I used:
160g cake flour / 0.5 tsp baking power / 0.25 tsp sea salt / 225g castor sugar / 3 eggs (UK size L, total 164g) / 0.75tsp vanilla extract / 190g butter / 50ml fresh lemon juice / 10ml water / grated zest from 1 lemon (about 55g) / 4g poppy seeds

What I did:
melt the butter. let it cool down but still warm / sift the cake flour & baking power / add salt & combine then set aside / combine sugar, eggs & vanilla extract. mix well / add the dry ingredients in 2 batches. mix until just combined / pour in the butter. whisk till smooth / add the lemon juice, zest and poppy seeds / cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight / after about 12-24 hours, preheat the oven to 220C / line a muffin pan with papper liners / divide the batter evenly between the tins / place the pan onto the 4th rack of the oven, lower the temperature to 190C / bake for 30 mins or until muffins are golden brown & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean / set the muffins onto a cooling rack & cool completely.

What I felt:
This is my favourite muffin recipe I think. The muffins are really soft and light. They don't taste like muffins, but more like cupcakes yet without the buttery heaviness. It's quite lemony even with absolutely no lemon essence. I've slightly reduced the sugar amount (the original amount should be around 235g) and found it okay. Slightly towards the sweet side but totally acceptable. but bear in mind that I've diluted the amount of lemon juice from 60ml to 50ml. The poppy seed add an interesting crunchiness to the texture too. And after the first few bites, I immediately got on Amazon & placed an order for "Bouchon Bakery". Yes. It is THAT good. If I make it again, I'll reduce the amount of vanilla extract - I found it a bit too strong but it may be related to this particular brand I am using. That's a pretty good extract. The fact that it's stronger than other brands are usually a bonus I am happy with. Unfortunately this time I find it a bit overpowering. I'll also add some more poppy seeds. Maybe 8 instead of 4 grams.

One IMPORTANT note: The original recipe uses about 65g of batter for each muffin and asks to bake for 34-37 mins. I used 82g for each muffin, yet it's already well cooked with a bit of burn on the top after 30 mins. So please keep an eye on your muffins and adjust baking time accordingly.

How good was it? 10/10 (Yes. It was really THAT good!)

How easy was it? 9/10 (Very easy. As easy as other muffin recipes. The only difference is you have to leave the batter overnight. So this is not a recipe for instant gratification. sorry.)

How economical was it? 10/10 (Very economical. Again, I ignore the cost of flour & baking powder. An organic lemon costs about 40 pence while a normal one would be 30p. Poppy seed costs only 49p for 100g. In conclusion this recipe is a very economical one.)

Will I make this again? Definitely. Nothing beats starting your day with a divine lemon muffin.