Breakfast Breads: Banana Muffins

By SharonE

Ingredients

• BATTER:
• Cake flour 168 grams | 1 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon
• Baking soda 3.6 grams | 3/4 teaspoon
• Baking powder 2.4 grams | 1/2 teaspoon
• Kosher salt 4.4 grams | 1 1/2 teaspoons
• Unsalted butter, at room temperature 120 grams | 4.2 ounces
• Light brown sugar 144 grams | 3/4 cup (lightly packed)
• Eggs 80 grams | 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
• Vanilla paste 7 grams | 1 1/8 teaspoons
• Crème fraîche 24 grams | 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons
• Mashed banana 256 grams | 1 cup (2 large bananas)
• WALNUT STREUSEL TOPPING (recipe follows) 180 grams | generous 1 1/3 cups
• All-purpose flour 100 grams | 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons
• Granulated sugar 100 grams | 1/2 cup
• Walnuts, very finely chopped 100 grams | 3/4 cup
• Kosher salt 0.4 gram | 1/8 teaspoon
• Cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 100 grams | 3.5 ounces

Preparation

Step 1

To make streusel: Combine all ingredients except butter in bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment and mix on lowest setting. Toss in butter and mix on low speed for 1 minute or until butter is incorporated with no large chunks.

Transfer streusel to a covered container or resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month. Use streusel while it is still cold.

To make the batter: Sift the cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium bowl. Add the salt and whisk together.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, turn to medium-low speed, and cream the butter, warming the bowl as needed (see Pommade/warm bowl over burner), until it has the consistency of mayonnaise. Add the sugar and mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla paste, and mix for 15 to 30 seconds on low speed, until just combined (do not overmix egg, ok if batter looks broken).

Add the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing on low speed for 15 seconds after each, or until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any dry ingredients that have settled there. Add the crème fraîche and banana and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until just combined. Transfer the batter to a covered container and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 36 hours.

To bake the muffins: Preheat the oven to 425 ° F (standard). Line the jumbo muffin pan with the muffin papers and spray the papers with nonstick spray. Spoon the batter evenly into the papers, stopping ½ inch from the top (133 grams each). Sprinkle 30 grams/ 3 tablespoons of the streusel on top of each muffin.

Place the pan in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, and bake for 35-38 minutes (27-29 min. if using 12 cup standard muffin tin), until the muffins are golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely.

The muffins are best the day baked, but they can be wrapped individually in a few layers of plastic and stored at room temp for 3 days or frozen for 1 week.