Wild Blackberry Muffins

 

Blackberries - most of the year I'm pulling blackberry plants out from my vegie garden, flower beds, under trees & the space that should be lawn. This time of the year I eagerly await the blackberry crop on the patch that I don't (usually) cut back. They are wild blackberries, growing on top of a tumble down dry stone wall that also houses a rabbit warren (that makes picking blackberries extra hazardous!). It's always hit & miss whether there will be a blackberry crop. The only water they get is from the sky as such if we have a particularly hot dry summer, there will only be a few blackberries.

 

This year we have had a bumper crop - the temperature has been sufficiently mild (some days downright cold) & we have had just enough rain to make those blackberries grow into beautiful plump black berries. I've managed to pick 3 kgs & turned them into jam, my daughter does help by putting a few into my container however most of them end up in her mouth.

 

My son & daughter both row for school, one of the events is the 'whole shed' (rowers, coaches, support staff) breakfast to celebrate the season & the approaching final regattas. Normally I would get up early & make some Blueberry Muffins but with an abundance of blackberries I simply had to make some Wild Blackberry Muffins (after I had picked them of course). It was an early start but it was such a beautiful morning to witness. 

 

 

 Now for the muffins.

 This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour. 

Ingredients 

Dry

200 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

30 g Potato starch

1 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

125 g Raw sugar

Wet

160 g Oil (I use Rice bran oil)

1 egg

185 g Milk

1 tsp Vinegar

180 g Blackberries

Maize starch = Cornflour from maize/corn and potato starch is sometimes labelled as potato flour. For more information go to Maize starch vs Cornflour.

Method

Preheat oven to 170 C.

Line a muffin tin with 12 patty cake papers or a large (jumbo, Texan) muffin tray with 6.  

Weigh out the milk into a container & sour it with the vinegar. I usually warm the mix up a little in the microwave (20 - 30 secs on high). Having a warm mix will thicken the batter more quickly. A thick batter will keep the blueberries suspended in it instead of them sinking to the bottom.  

Mix together the dry ingredients into a bowl.

In another bowl mix together the oil & eggs with the soured milk.

Pour the wet mix over the dry mix & stir to combine. Keep on stirring until there are no more lumps in the batter. The batter should have thickened considerably.

Stir in the blackberries. 

Spoon the mixture "equally" into the patty cake papers (I nearly fill them to the top).

Bake for approximately 30 mins for small muffins & 40 mins for large muffins.

Makes 12 or 6.

Simply enjoy!