a term connected with moufflet, an old French word applied to bread, meaning ‘soft’.
The English muffin is round and made from a soft yeast-leavened dough enriched with milk and butter. It is usually cooked on a griddle, which gives it a flat, golden-brown top and bottom, with a white band around the waist and a light, spongy interior. For serving, muffins are toasted back and front and then split with the fingers by easing them apart at the joint all the way round. Some butter is placed inside, and the two halves put back together and kept warm. This method appears as early as 1747 and was recommended by Hannah Glasse, who said that the inside of muffins should be like honeycomb. Writers on the subject of muffins agree that they should not be cut with a knife, as this makes them heavy.
Muffins were most popular during the 19th century, when muffin men traversed town streets at teatime, ringing their bells. In the 1840s the muffin-man's bell was prohibited by Act of Parliament because many people objected to it, but the prohibition was ineffective. In recent times, muffins have regained some popularity; in common with crumpets and pikelets, they provide a physical base and a pretext for eating melted butter.
The word ‘muffin’ first appeared in print in the early 18th century, and recipes began to be published in the middle of the 18th century. There has always been some confusion between muffins, crumpets, and pikelets, both in recipes and in name. ‘Muffin’ usually meant a breadlike product (sometimes simply made from whatever bread dough was available), as opposed to the more pancake-like crumpets.
The American muffin is generally a small, squat, round cake which may be yeast leavened, although baking powder is used in many recipes. It is usually sweetened with a little sugar. These muffins may be plain, but are often flavoured with fruits, nuts, or savoury ingredients. Blueberry muffins are common. American muffins, still extremely popular, are oven baked in muffin pans or cups and are served primarily for breakfast or as an accompaniment to dinner.
Laura Mason has written about several aspects of British food in books including Sugar Plums and Sherbet (1998), Farmhouse Cookery (2005), and Traditional Foods of Britain (1999), which she co-authored with Catherine Brown.
