I hope that in most of the recipes I make and feature here that I can use a majority of locally sourced items in my creations but its just not always possible, but I will note which items are locally sourced when I can.
The locally sourced items in this recipe are:
Garlic from Brambleberry Farm
Green onion from another vendor at the market I can't readily name (sorry I'll find out the name & update the post once I've verified it)
The spice blend I use isn't locally sourced but it is handmade by an etsy vendor, whom I adore.
My title and recipe are inspired by Laura's recipe but all mistakes and revisions are my own. I apologize in advance for not having exact measurements because I learned to cook from my grandmother so I'm used to eyeballing a lot of ingredients for that I humbly apologize and will note the approximate measurements to the best of my ability.
These muffins aren't like any muffin you've ever had. They're not very moist but they are incredibly delicious (roommate & I each had one fresh out of the oven). Their texture is closer to that of a savory scone rather than the traditional muffin. I think I know part of why that might be which I'll touch on later in the blog. They are quite filling and while not entirely healthy in the way I made them I can say they are something I'll make again regardless of whether I sell them at market or not.
The recipe, assume it will make 12 large muffins or 18 medium muffins or probably 36 mini muffins but bite size + these don't really work.
(I doubled the original recipe that Laura gave me so I could make more than the standard 12, I ended up with 18 total and they're slightly smaller than I expected but again I think that's my own fault)
Garlic Bacon Cheddar Sourdough Muffins
(1)
7-8 strips thick cut smoked & cured bacon, cooked*
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(2)
3-4 regular size garlic cloves, or two large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 small green onion peeled & finely chopped
1/4 cup cold bacon grease (or 1/4 cup salted butter)
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(3)
1 cup sourdough starter (unfed or medium ripeness - if unfamiliar just don't feed it yet, pull your 1cup out and then feed it, use the 1cup you'd normally throw away in these muffins, and feed as usual replacing the same amount you took out with half water & half flour)
2 cups all purpose flour (you can do a half & half mix of AP & whole wheat or all whole wheat its up to you)
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (don't use quick oats)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (I accidentally forgot this but my bacon grease was salty so maybe it made up for it?)
1/4 cup canola oil (or your choice of cooking oils)
2 tsp spices of your choice *see note 2 at end*
2 eggs
3/4 cup total of additions - to get to about 3/4c I factored in the large amount of garlic & onion I added, plus the 4strips bacon chopped into 1/4inch pieces, and about 1/2 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese - adjust to suit your tastes.
(1)
Before beginning the muffin mix preheat oven to 450F, line a 13x9 baking pan with foil, up the sides and higher than a baking rack that will fit in the bottom of the pan (you can use any pan size you like here, its what holds 7-8 slice of bacon for me). Place bacon on the wire rack and place the entire pan in the oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until your bacon is desired doneness - watch closely at the end as it will go from undercooked to burnt in a very short time. Remove bacon to paper towels to cool & remove excess grease. Save your bacon drippings when cooled slightly in a reusable container in the fridge. It makes a flavorful oil substitute at the same calories. When bacon is done cooking turn oven down to 350F.
(2) While bacon is cooking, if you have bacon grease left from a previous round of bacon cooking add 1/4 cup cold grease to a non-stick pan on medium-low heat, when its melted and slightly warm, add in the chopped garlic & onion, cooking slowly until lightly browned and softened. Remove from heat, let cool at room temperature at least 5-10 minutes (this is where I think I made my mistake. I wasn't thinking and added the hot bacon grease to my dry ingredients.) Let cool until no longer hot, but not solidified.
(3) Prepare muffin tins with paper muffin liners, you can spray the liners with non-stick spray but I don't think its necessary unless you use more cheese, set aside.
Combine all ingredients except bacon & cheese I folded these in at the end so as not to over mix them. Make sure your bacon grease/garlic & onion mixture is cool enough you can touch it without getting burned (my mistake it was hot off the stove and I think it may have effectively killed off the starter).
Mixture will be very thick, you might need to add a little water to loosen up the batter, depending on how thin your starter was that you added at the beginning, mine was thinner than pancake batter so I didn't add water.
Do not over mix. Gently fold in your bacon & cheese, scoop into prepared muffin cups and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Mine baked for 11 minutes, I rotated the pans, and then for another 12 minutes - 22 total.
Remove from oven and cool in pans for 1 minute, remove from pans to cool on a wire rack until cool. Store in airtight container.
Mine as listed above made 18 average sized muffins, slightly smaller rise than expected which was disappointing but they're yummy, and very hearty/dense texture.
*Note 1* I used 4 strips of cooked bacon in the muffins, ate 1 myself and roommate snuck one and the other was divided among the cats after the muffins were in the oven, if you're like me and like bacon any time, make extras and use what you like for the recipe.
*Note #2* For spices I used 2 tsp of a type of all purpose spice mix I got through etsy. It includes: garlic, basil, parsley, chives, savory, marjoram, lemon zest, black and cayenne pepper, coriander, mustard & celery seeds, thyme, & cumin. Its really good and it's not expensive - you can buy it here: Salt Free Garlic & Herb Spice Blend.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe and if you try it please post a link to your version, and let me know if you make changes I'm curious to see what everyone comes up with.
frawggie
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