This olive oil muffin recipe is an ideal way to show the world how useful it can be to use a good extra virgin olive oil in baking recipes . Furthermore, the final result will be sweet and spongy muffins, with an excellent flavor and a very special touch thanks to this liquid gold.
Extra virgin olive oil in baking.
The use of olive oil in baking is nothing new. There are many traditional sweets whose recipe has been passed down from generation to generation, in which olive oil is used as one of the main ingredients. A clear example of this are many typical sweets from many areas of Spain that have their origin in Arab cuisine.
On many occasions, when we think about the use of olive oil in baking, we still think only and exclusively about frying doughs or cakes. An example of this are the classic donuts, pestiños, torrijas or fried milk. But there are many people who do not know that olive oil can be an ideal ingredient for baking without having to use it exclusively in recipes that involve frying as part of the preparation.
Due to its characteristics, olive oil is a great ally for making a good sweet dough, since it provides moisture to it, making it less sticky and softer. As if this were not enough, using extra virgin olive oil will make your dough healthier, since it is a fat with great health benefits.
Use an olive oil with a less intense flavor.
One piece of advice I can give you when using extra virgin olive oil in baking , especially if we are going to incorporate it directly into the preparation of a dough, as is the case with our olive oil muffins , is to use extra virgin oil. Make it mild in flavor, since a milder oil will combine better with the sweet flavor of the cakes or biscuits you prepare.
In this sense, it is best to opt for varieties whose flavor is not very bitter or spicy, such as the Arbequina variety, or other less known varieties such as the Royal variety, typical of the Sierra de Cazorla, the Manzanilla variety or the Lechín.
What oil have I used in this recipe?
In this recipe I wanted to use an oil with a mild flavor, but of great quality. It is an oil of the Royal variety, specifically the Esencial Royal from the SCA Encarnación cooperative . It is a superior quality oil, with a mild flavor but full of natural nuances.
It is not necessary to use an oil of this level in this recipe, I recommend another oil with a mild flavor that will also be used for baking and that you can buy in a more economical format, in a 5-liter bottle. It is a Coupage, that is, a mixture between the Manzanilla, Lechín and Arbequina varieties, which provides a mild but noticeable flavor. This is Los Angeles Coupage Unfiltered .
Use a mixer or whisk at first, but then use a spatula and mix manually.
As you will see in the recipe, I used a whisk to mix the liquid ingredients with the sugar. That is, first I added the eggs and sugar, I mixed with the whisk. There I added the olive oil and mixed again using the whisk blender until everything is integrated.
When I then added the dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) I used a spatula and mixed little by little without using a whisk, mixer or mixer. I recommend that you do this since you will see that your dough mixes perfectly and is not sticky at all, so the result will be better.
A final notice
As you can see in the images, these muffins will not rise as much when baked as those in other recipes, so probably, although they will rise, they will not have that dome that we see in other sweets like these. This is because the amount of fat determines whether they rise or not. Even so, they will be tremendously fluffy and delicious.
Olive oil muffins recipe step by step:
Ingredients: (14 units approx.)
-4 normal size eggs
-200 g of sugar.
-200 ml of extra virgin olive oil olive oil.
-The scratch of an orange.
-16 g of chemical yeast.
-250 g of pastry flour.
-A little more sugar to sprinkle on top before baking.
Elaboration:
1- In a bowl we add the eggs and sugar. We stir well with a whisk until it is well integrated.
2- Add the olive oil and orange peel and mix again with the whisk.
3- Now let's go with the dry ingredients. Place a strainer or filter over the bowl in which we have beaten everything and add a first part of the flour and baking powder. Sift it very well and stir with a spatula to mix.
4- Do the same with the remaining flour and mix everything again with the spatula. The goal is to get a dough like the one you see in the photo.
5- We cover the bowl with fil paper and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
7- In a muffin mold we add the dough, filling each mold only ¾ of its capacity, since they will grow a little in the oven.
8- Add a pinch of sugar on each mold. Preheat the oven to 200º and bake them for about 15 minutes. Insert a knife or toothpick to check if they are ready, when it comes out completely dry it is time to remove them from the oven.
9- Let them rest for another 5 minutes outside the oven and then transfer them to a rack to cool.
I hope you prepare them and that you like them a lot. My house liked them quite a bit the first time I made them, so they have already become one of our favorite sweets.
Remember that if you are interested in buying olive oil that you can use for baking, some of these varieties of oil may help you:
