Music and Baking (of non special, but magic, muffins)

When the weekend rolls around, or at the end of a stressful day, as I've mentioned before, one of my happy-techniques is to go home, put on some of my favourite music, slightly louder than is technically necessary, and bake. Depending on my mood, this is sometimes accompanied by dressing in 50s housewife attire, somehow that just makes it all the more fun.


For some reason, my baking comes out better when I play music. Perhaps I put more happy into the recipe. Perhaps my beating or stirring is more rhythmic. I don't know. In any case, I'm not complaining, I have more fun doing it, and it comes out even tastier at the other end, an all-round victory in my view. And if my neighbours get an amusing show as I dance round the kitchen between mixing bowls and electric beaters, then so be it!


This being the case, each batch of baking is paired with an album or set of songs in my mind. The chocolate chip cookies from Friday night were baked to The Beatles - The Blue Album. And Saturday's savoury muffins were baked to the sounds of RJD2 - Deadringer. 

The savoury muffins are an old recipe that I was given in primary school cooking class, and have modified over the years. My current favourite addition to the recipe is Mexican Magic Powder, an ingredient that tends to raise a few eyebrows, when you first mention it, but causes much drooling upon tasting. Magic Powder is salt and chili dissolved in lime juice and then baked off so the liquid evaporates out. You're left with a delicious limey, chili, salty substance to add to, well, virtually anything. This fantastic substance can be acquired from Mexican Specialties, the very best Mexican food store in Auckland. 


I took some of the finished products into a friend's bar on Saturday night, for him and his lovely wife to have for breakfast the next day. After I left, I'm told his patrons quizzed him on whether or not they were "special" muffins. No, no, just magic ones.

I was all organised and remembered to take photos, documenting the baking process, to post, too, rather than just braggy finished product ones.

Savoury Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of onion soup
• 2 1/2 cups of plain flour
• 4 raised tsp of baking powder
• 1 tbsp of white sugar
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• Cracked pepper (to taste)
• 1 1/4 cups of trim milk
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/4 cup oil - I prefer rice bran oil
• Fresh chopped parsley
• 1 cup of grated cheese
• 2 free range bacon slices, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of sweet chilli sauce
• 6 sundried tomatoes, chopped
• Magic Powder
• Extra lightly grated cheese to sprinkle on top

You can use other savoury ingredients, the above is a guide only. I have also made with feta cheese, lightly chopped baby spinach, garlic, ham, salami, assorted fresh herbs.

Heat oven to 190 Celsius. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tray.
In a small bowl, mix the onion soup mix and milk. Leave to stand.
In a large bowl, sieve dry ingredients and loosely mix. Add savoury ingredients, including a good sprinkle if magic powder and create a well in the middle of the bowl.

Add the oil, sweet chili and egg to the liquid mix. Combine well with a fork. Pour mixture into well. Combine evenly with a wooden spoon.

Once combined, spoon into muffin tray. Sprinkle top with grated cheese and magic powder

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown and inserted skewer is clean.