Serves: 5
Total Calories: 336
Yield: 12 to 15 Muffins

2 cups white unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons sugar depending on desired sweetness
1 egg slightly beaten
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar plus 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for topping (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a standard muffin tin or line with paper baking cups, and set aside.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Stir in the sugar, then add the egg, butter, and milk. Stir just enough to moisten the dry ingredients (it will be lumpy)—do not overstir.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Fill each cup about two-thirds. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture, if using.

4. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the muffins are brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the tin.

VARIATIONS
Blueberry Muffins: Add 1 cup blueberries (rinsed and patted dry) to the flour mixture.
Dried Fruit Muffins: Add 1/2 cup chopped dates, prunes, apricots, raisins, figs, or other dried fruit to the flour mixture.
Nut Muffins: Add 1/2 cup unsalted chopped nuts to the flour mixture.
Chocolate Muffins: Use 6 tablespoons sugar, and mix 3 ounces melted semi-sweet chocolate with the melted butter.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins: Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to the Chocolate Muffins variation (above).
Whole Wheat Muffins: Substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour for an equivalent amount of white flour.
Bran Muffins: Substitute 1 cup bran (miller’s bran, not bran cereal) for an equivalent amount of flour.

TIP
If you have a lever-type ice cream scoop, use it to fill your muffin pans.

TIP
Before you begin preparing a batch of muffins, be sure the oven is hot and the pan greased (or lined with fluted muffin papers). This way, you can get your muffin batter into the oven immediately.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 5
Total Calories: 336
Calories from Fat: 94

More Recipes from the Great Natural Breads Made Easy Cookbook:
Yellow Corn Bread
Scottish Soda Bread
Irish Soda Bread
Fruit and Honey Loaf
Date Nut Bread
Cranberry Nut Bread
Carrot Bread
Zucchini Bread
Pumpkin Bread
Down-Home Biscuits
Basic Muffins
Corn Muffins
Scones