The Great Muffin Experiment, No. 10 (Jump to the Recipe)

One of the primary ways in which I'm experimenting with my muffin-making is by trying different kinds of flours. Me, I don't have any particular issue with gluten. After an elimination diet, I would describe myself as "gluten sensitive" perhaps, but only at particularly high quantities of bread. (And aren't we all, then?!) That said, I am interested in trying other flours for both health and flavor reasons.

This bake was my first time using tapioca flour, also known as cassava flour.

I do not like tapioca — or any custard or pudding, for that matter. I abhor it, honestly. And I don't like items that have that tapioca-y consistency. (I'm a writer. I need to find a better way of describing it.) Kin often laughs about the time that I bit into some sweet potato dim sum that, I think, had taro in it. Friends, I had to spit it out into my napkin. I couldn't chew it or swallow it. I just couldn't.

So not surprisingly, I wasn't thrilled with the consistency of these muffins (something that was slightly improved by freezing them and eating them mushed together with granola and yogurt).

Nonetheless, I'm intrigued by the possibility of grain-free cooking as I have several fitness-friends who can either neither nuts nor grains. Obviously, as this recipe uses almond flour, it wouldn't work for them. But I will probably experiment with tapioca flour again. I mean, I have three-quarters of a bag left. The trick now is to bake with enough to use the flour but not experience the flour.

Another drawback with tapioca flour — one more related to my particular dietary needs: it doesn't have a lot of protein. I intended on adding a couple of tablespoons of collagen to this batch, but I totally forgot. (I am probably going to start adding collagen to all the muffins I make, as I'm eating less meat in 2022 and no protein bars. And yes, I know where collagen comes from.) I have created a list of the ingredients I'm using in my muffins — it's a work-in-progress, for sure — that includes calories and protein and the like. I've found it useful in coming up with recipes and in making substitutions with certain macros in mind.

Almond flour, I would say, is becoming a baking staple for me. The superhero muffins that I'm also making regularly use a lot of almond and oat flour. Both of those have significantly more protein than tapioca flour.

Grain-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

This is based on the recipe for grain-free apple cinnamon muffins on the Roasted Root website.

Prep time: 10 minutes  ·  Cooking time: 30 minutes  ·  Servings: 12  ·  Calories: 147

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c almond flour
• 3/4 c tapioca flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c coconut milk
• 2 tbs coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 c maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 c applesauce, unsweetened

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder and soda, spices, salt).
3. In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Whisk until blended.
4. Add the wet to the dry and stir until just combined.
5. Fill muffin tins.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then remove from muffin tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Some Baking Notes

The original recipe calls for grated apple. Thanks to the abundance of apples in the fruit CSA, I used some of the applesauce I've made and frozen. The apple flavor was really terrific on these. They were very moist — perhaps a little heavy, but that's often the case with baked goods made with applesauce, I find.

I also added baking powder in order to get a better rise. I know that the baking soda and lemon juice in the original should suffice. But that recipe said "these won't rise," and dammit, I wanted some lift.

They still came out rather flat, as you can see.

Finally, I also increased the the cooking time substantially from the original recipe. They weren't done after 25 minutes. Again, this is probably the moisture content from the applesauce.