Follow these tried-and-true bakery secrets to make High-Domed Bakery-style muffins with your favorite from-scratch standard-size muffin recipe!
So how many of you have bought a muffin at a bakery and just were in awe of how high they rose without really spilling over? They domed so beautifully, almost like you were getting twice as much muffin for the price of one. BONUS, right?!
One thing to keep in mind is that this is for MUFFIN batter, not cupcakes. There’s a huge difference between cupcakes and muffin batter, folks.
- .and I’m sure you went home and decided to try it by adding more baking soda/powder to your mix. Instead of filling them 1/2-3/4″ of the way full, you filled them to the brim.
- …and I’m sure about 6 minutes into the baking, you started to smell that smell. You know that smell. The smell of your gorgeous batter overflowed the cupcake pans onto your oven floor.
- … and I’m sure you’ve said one to 672 swear words, damning that bakery for teasing you with their perfectly high domed muffins while you’re left to scrapping burnt batter off of your oven floor.
It’s pretty basic and you’ll love me FOREVER once I share this bakery secret with you. So here goes…
Most from-scratch muffin recipes tell you to do the following:
- Preheat oven to 325-350.
- Fill 1/2-3/4 full
- Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
Right? Well, stop that! No, you can still make them that way, but you won’t get high-domed muffins.
Bakery Secrets to High-Domed Muffins
There are two important steps here:
- TIP ONE: Let the batter rest at least an hour or overnight in the fridge (preferred).
Chef Lori’s #1 Tip for Success
WHY YOU SHOULD LET MUFFIN BATTER REST: Do you know why you should let your muffin batter rest? During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour absorb the liquid in the batter. This causes them to swell and gives the batter a thicker, more viscous consistency. Any gluten formed during the batter’s mixing also gets time to relax, and air bubbles slowly work their way out.
- TIP TWO: How you bake them temp-wise
Chef Lori’s #2 Tip for Success
BAKE MUFFINS AT A HIGH HEAT INITIALLY: Starting them off at such a high temperature, 425 degrees F, causes the batter to have greater oven spring or the rapid rise during the first few minutes of baking. The higher heat creates a burst of steam that lifts the batter. Makes sense, huh?
Bakery-style High Domed Muffins – how do they do that?
Follow these tried-and-true bakery secrets to make High-Domed Bakery-style muffins with your favorite from-scratch standard-size muffin recipe!
- Prep Time: 10 mintes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 muffins
- Category: bakery secret, baking tip, best muffins, high-domed muffins, kitchen hack, muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: bakery secret, baking tip, best muffins, high-domed muffins, kitchen hack, muffins
Ingredients
- Any from-scratch standard size muffin batter – try the Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Muffins!
Instructions
- Always use a From-Scratch muffin recipe, never boxed! Never use a mixer to incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet. Use a spatula or spoon. Do not overmix the batter.
- Cover your batter tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (can go overnight as well).
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Yes, I know the recipe calls for 350, but trust me on this. I typically bake my muffins in the upper third of the oven. You see, placing the muffins in the upper third of the oven tends to be hotter and more constant. You can most certainly use the middle rack as well if you want.
- Spray the top of your muffin pan with non-stick spray. Line the pan with cupcake/muffin liners. Place a muffin liner in every other muffin well.
- The batter will be THICK. You can gently stir it first. Just try not to deflate it. Fill the muffin papers almost TO THE TOP OF THE PAPER. (leave about a 1/8″ from the top). Yes, I know, it’s spilled over before, but this works.
- If your muffin tin has empty cavities (not enough batter), remove the liner and add 1/4 cup water to each cavity.
- Bake 6-9 minutes at 425. The muffins should be about a 1/4″-1/2″ above the paper. That’s the sign the heat can be turned down.
- Reduce heat to 350 (DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR TO DROP THE TEMP—sorry for the yelling, lol) and bake for 6-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out barely clean (crumbs are OK). *Note: This will depend on your actual recipe.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a rack for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the muffins (they will be hot) from the pan and cool on the rack. Please do not leave them in the pan to cool completely, as this will make the bottoms and sides soggy. Leaving them in the pan builds up too much moisture.
Notes
- I do NOT use boxed muffin mixes – ever nor would I recommend using this technique on a boxed mix.
- The reason why this works is the initial high heat of 425 degrees F causes the batter to have greater oven spring or the rapid rise during the first few minutes of baking. The higher heat creates a burst of steam that lifts the batter.
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