Pumpkin Muffins with Freshly Milled Flour
These pumpkin muffins with freshly milled flour bake up soft and tender with tall, bakery-style tops, real pumpkin, and warm pumpkin pie spice. A 60/40 blend of hard white and soft white wheat, a short batter rest, and a two-temperature bake give them a beautiful dome and an even crumb.
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 235kcal
Equipment
- standard 12-cup muffin tin
Ingredients
For the Streusel Topping, Optional
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar 73 grams
- 16 grams freshly milled soft white wheat flour unsifted, 2 Tbsp. of whole soft white wheat berries
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon preferably Ceylon, 1.5 grams
- 2 tablespoons cold salted butter cubed, 28 grams
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling optional alternative to streusel
For the Muffin Batter
- 144 grams hard white wheat flour fine setting (unsifted), around 1 cup of whole hard white wheat berries
- 96 grams freshly milled soft white wheat flour fine setting (unsifted), around 2/3 cup of whole soft white wheat berries plus 1 tablespoon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 grams
- ½ cup packed brown sugar 110 grams
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 7 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 8 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt 3 grams
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling, 245 grams
- ⅓ cup salted butter melted and cooled, 75 grams
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt room temperature, 60 grams
- 2 large eggs room temperature, approximately 100 grams without shells
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk only if needed, approximately 15 to 30 grams
Instructions
- Mill the flour – Mill the hard white and soft white wheat berries on the finest setting. Weigh 144 grams of hard white wheat flour and 96 grams of soft white wheat flour for the muffin batter. If making the streusel, mill an additional 16 grams of soft white wheat flour. Let the flour cool for 5 minutes if your mill runs warm.
- Preheat and prepare the pan – Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Butter a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line it with paper liners.
- Make the streusel topping – If using streusel, combine the brown sugar, freshly milled soft white wheat flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Work in the cold, cubed butter with your fingertips, a fork, or a pastry cutter until coarse, clumpy crumbs form. Refrigerate while preparing the batter.
- Whisk the dry ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the freshly milled hard white and soft white wheat flours, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Break up any brown sugar clumps.
- Mix the wet ingredients – In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, melted and cooled butter, sour cream or Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Combine the batter – Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold with a rubber spatula, approximately 10 to 12 strokes, just until no dry flour remains. The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy. Avoid overmixing.
- Rest the batter – Let the batter rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the freshly milled flour can absorb the moisture. The batter should be thick and scoopable. If it is stiff like cookie dough, gently stir in whole milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, only as needed.
- Fill the muffin cups – Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each nearly to the top. Sprinkle with the chilled streusel or turbinado sugar, if using.
- Bake the muffins – Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes. Start checking at 15 minutes. Since freshly milled flour tends to brown faster than store-bought flour, loosely tent the muffins with aluminum foil during the last 5 to 10 minutes if the tops are getting too dark. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Cool and serve – Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Serve slightly warm with a pat of butter or let them cool completely before storing. Enjoy!
Notes
Two-temperature bake – Start the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350°F without opening the door. This method is intended to encourage tall muffin tops while allowing the centers to finish baking.
Topping options – The streusel and turbinado sugar are optional. Choose either topping, or leave the muffins plain for golden pumpkin muffin tops.
Freshly milled flour blend – This recipe uses 144 grams of freshly milled hard white wheat flour and 96 grams of freshly milled soft white wheat flour, for 240 grams total. The 60/40 blend provides structure from the hard white wheat while the soft white wheat helps keep the muffins tender. If making the streusel, mill an additional 16 grams of soft white wheat flour.
Batter consistency – Freshly milled flour can absorb liquid differently from batch to batch. After resting, the batter should be thick and scoopable, not pourable. Add milk only if the batter is unusually stiff.
Nutrition
Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 247mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 3437IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg
