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 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, this is for MUFFIN batter, not cupcakes. There’s a huge difference between cupcakes and muffin batters folks.
…and I’m sure you went home, decided to try it by adding more baking soda/powder to your mix and 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 the smell. The smell of your gorgeous batter overflowing the cupcake pans and 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’re going to love me FOREVER once I share this bakery secret with you. Actually, since you’re gonna love me forever, wanna help me open my bistro? 🙂
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 2 important steps here
-
Let the batter rest at least an hour or overnight in the fridge (preferred)
Do you know why you should let your muffin batter rest? During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter.
This causes them to swell and gives the batter a thicker, more viscous consistency. Any gluten formed during the mixing of the batter is also getting time to relax, and air bubbles are slowly working their way out.
-
How you bake them temp-wise
By starting them off at such a high temperature 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. Makes sense, huh?
Bakery-style High Domed Muffins – how do they do that?
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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 your dry ingredients to your wet. Use a spatula or spoon. Do not over mix your batter.
- Cover your batter tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (can go overnight as well).
- Preheat your oven to 425F. 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 it tends to be hotter and the heat 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.
- The batter will be THICK. You can gently stir it first. Just try not to deflate it. Fill the muffin papers almost ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP OF THE PAPER. (just leave about a 1/8″ from the top). Yes I know, it’s spilled over before but this works.
- If you have empty cavities in your muffin tin (not enough batter), remove the liner and add 1/2 cup water in each.
- 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. Do not leave them in the pan to cool completely as the bottoms and sides will become 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.
Dave Houle says
This sounds great, I’m going to try this. Do you have a good home made blueberry muffin mix recipe? I would appreciate it if you could send it to me.
TKWAdmin says
Hi Dave!
Thank you so much! Actually yes – I have one that’s not posted yet but here:
1 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 Tbl unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream or greek yogurt or 3 mashed bananas (your choice)
2 cups fresh blueberries
1. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Using your stand mixer (or electric mixer) beat together the sugars and eggs for 3 minutes.
3. Add in the vanilla and sour cream/yogurt/bananas. Beat to blend.
4. In batches add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients using a spatula to incorporate everything until just mixed. Do NOT use your mixer.
5. Add in the melted butter and mix to combine. Add in the blueberries and SLOWLY mix in. Cover the muffin cake batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (you can go overnight for this).
6. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425F
7. Spray the tops of the cupcake pan with non-stick spray (you want to spray around the tops of the pan to prevent the muffin cakes from sticking when they rise).
Line with cupcake liners (recipe makes 10-12)
8. Remove the muffin cake batter from the fridge, gently stir. Using an ice cream scoop, fill the tins almost to the top of the paper liners. Don’t go over. You want to see about 1/8” of an inch of paper.
9. Bake for 9 minutes at 425F. 10. WITHOUT OPENING THE OVEN reduce the heat to 350F and bake for 8-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out barely clean (crumbs are OK).
11. Remove from oven and carefully remove the muffins from the pan and cook on rack.
Jessica says
THis sounds great! If I am doing blueberry muffins, should I not put the blueberries in until the morning? or put in batter that will sit overnight?
TKWAdmin says
Hi Jessica!
As long as they are fresh, you can put them in prior to you refrigerating the batter.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Viginia Howard says
I just did a test run on 2 muffins and YOU ARE BRILLIANT! (I am screaming!). Somehow I never connected this process with the one I do for Focaccia. I am doing a “happy dance”. Why it took me so long to Google my question, is a mystery. Giving it some thought.
Thank you and I look forward to still learning new tricks and we all know we have been cooking and baking more this past year, not just for holiday baking!
TKWAdmin says
Yeah!!! So happy you loved this! And you’re most welcome! Thank you for the kind words!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Regina says
Youbare a muffin GOD. Seriously. Rick Riodan needs to find a way to create the muffin God next to Dionysus. Love you.
TKWAdmin says
LOL thank you!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Noel says
Thanks again for making Monday mornings wonderful! I have been baking my muffins this way for months and they have all come out amazing. For a previous commenter :It’s now full-on winter here, and I have been using frozen berries- I fold them in the morning while the oven preheats. They have worked terrifically, I have just needed to bake for the higher range of times.
Minet Bottagisio says
It works!!!!!! So happy!!! Couldn’t make them with a dome!!! Thank you sooooo much for sharing the secret 😉
TKWAdmin says
Woohoo! Yeah!!!
neddy says
sorry im a bit of a novice at this, but you mentioned storing the batter in the fridge for a while or overnight is one good baking idea- as i use baking soda and vinegar ( instead of baking powder for raising) do I add the vinegar to the mix right before it goes into the oven? Or is it ok to refrigerate the batter with mixed in vinegar included?
TKWAdmin says
Hi Neddy,
I think you found a caveat where I would NOT recommend refrigerating the batter. The chemical reaction between the two happens rather quickly and while the CO2 would continue to build and be more a slow reaction, you may not get the same lift if you chill it.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Jukie says
Must the batter come to room temp after resting in frig and before baking? Or go straight from cold to hot?
Do you have a preferred ratio of liquid to dry?
TKWAdmin says
Hi!
Nope, it can go strait from fridge to pan without coming to temp.
I’ve never calculated the ratios but if you use any of my muffin recipes you can see they all follow this method.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Donna says
Hi! I live in an apartment with a pretty old/crappy oven. The thermostat is wonky – I know this because we bought an oven thermometer to monitor the real temperature, and it almost always gets hotter than whatever it is supposed to be. When I set the oven to 350F, it will rise to over 400F. Opening the door seems to be the only way to cool it off and get it to the proper temp.
However, I understand I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO OPEN THE DOOR TO COOL IT. (sorry, had to yell back LOL)
Why not? And not sure what other options I have, since the thermostat is non-functioning.
TKWAdmin says
Hi Donna,
I can’t offer advice against my recipe. If the thermostat is wonky my advice is to fix it before attempting this recipe.
The instructions only work if your oven and it’s mechanisms are functioning properly. Sorry.
Best Kitchen Wishes!