Beautiful buttermilk muffins - berry-streaked with sugar-sparkled tops, big flavor, and buttermilk-tender texture.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups / 5 1/2 oz / 160 g whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/4 cups / 10 1/2 oz / 295 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup / 3 1/2 oz / 100 g firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 1/2 oz mashed, ripe banana (~2 med.)
240 ml buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup / 4 oz / 115 g unsalted butter, barely melted
1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g berries, plus more for topping
rose cinnamon sugar*
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C, with a rack in the center. Line a muffin tin with papers. I used baking cups here, with those you can skip the tin.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
In another bowl combine the banana, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Stir until blended and uniform.
Gently stir the berries into the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over dry, and mix until just combined. For tender muffins, do your best to avoid over-blending.
Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full (maybe a bit more than that), sprinkle with more berries and a generous dusting of cinnamon rose sugar.
Bake for 20-30 minutes (larger muffins on the long side), or until golden-topped, and a tester/toothpick comes out just clean.