New England Blueberry Muffin

Tall, domed, wild blueberry muffin with a crackling sugar crust from the bakeries of coastal Maine and Massachusetts

Origin: Downeast Maine and coastal Massachusetts, New England

From the journey of Blueberry.

The New England blueberry muffin is the most recognisable commercial expression of the wild blueberry in American food culture, and the one that carried the Maine wild harvest into the everyday consciousness of the twentieth century. The muffin as a category arrived in New England through English quick-bread traditions, but the specifically blueberry muffin belongs to a distinct regional moment: the post-war expansion of roadside diners, tourist bakeries, and eventually the national chain coffee shop, all of which found in the wild blueberry muffin a product of genuine local distinction that could be sold with regional pride. The best New England blueberry muffins are made with wild lowbush berries (Vaccinium angustifolium) and are characterised by a domed top, a slightly crunchy sugar crust, a tender crumb that is moist but not wet, and blueberry colour that bleeds through the batter in deep indigo streaks. The domestic version, made at home with fresh-picked or frozen wild berries, is a different object from the commercial muffin: denser, richer, and far more intensely flavoured. This recipe reflects the domestic New England tradition, with a coarse-sugar crust, a deep muffin tin for height, and the maximum quantity of berries a batter can honestly carry.

Ingredients

Dry

300 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
0.5 tsp fine sea salt
200 g caster sugar

Wet

2 large eggs, at room temperature
180 ml buttermilk, at room temperature
120 ml neutral oil (sunflower or vegetable)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Berries

300 g wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium), fresh or frozen (do not thaw)
1 tsp plain flour, for tossing the berries

Topping

3 tbsp demerara or coarse raw sugar, for the crust

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Line a standard 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases, or grease and flour it well.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate jug, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and lemon zest together until smooth.
Toss the blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour in a small bowl. This helps prevent them sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they bake.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together with a large spatula until just combined — about 12 to 15 strokes. The batter should still have visible streaks of flour. Fold in the blueberries with two or three more strokes.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin holes, filling each to the brim. Scatter the demerara sugar generously over each muffin.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until the tops are deeply golden, domed, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

The Gastrographer

Name: New England Blueberry Muffin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: New England
Ingredients: 300 g plain flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 0.5 tsp fine sea salt; 200 g caster sugar; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 180 ml buttermilk, at room temperature; 120 ml neutral oil (sunflower or vegetable); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest; 300 g wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium), fresh or frozen (do not thaw); 1 tsp plain flour, for tossing the berries; 3 tbsp demerara or coarse raw sugar, for the crust

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control