Feather Muffins

Feather muffins are a vintage bread recipe that lives up to the name. Six basic pantry ingredients, butter, sugar, egg, milk, baking powder, and flour, produce a muffin so light it practically floats off the plate.

This is baking stripped down to its essentials. No fancy techniques, no long ingredient lists. Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the egg, alternate the dry ingredients with the milk, and get them into a hot oven. The high baking temperature is what gives these muffins their quick rise and golden tops while keeping the inside soft.

The original recipe calls for butter or lard. Lard was the traditional fat in farmhouse baking and produces a slightly more tender crumb than butter, though butter gives better flavor. Either works.

Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until the flour disappears. Overworking develops gluten and turns light muffins into tough ones. A few small lumps in the batter are fine.

Pro Tips

• Grease your muffin tin well or use paper liners since there’s not much fat in the batter to prevent sticking
• Fill each cup about two-thirds full for a nice dome
• Test with a toothpick at the 12-minute mark since these bake fast in a hot oven
• Bring the egg and milk to room temperature before mixing for better volume

Variations

• Fold in blueberries, chopped apples, or chocolate chips for a fruited version
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg to the dry ingredients
• Top with a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking for a crunchy crust