I will always remember the first gluten free muffin I ate that was made from a boxed mix. It was so dense and dry I could hardly eat it! I may have downed a whole cup of coffee just trying to swallow the muffin. Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on box mixes to eat a delicious baked treat. These gluten free blueberry buttermilk muffins are a great example of something you can easily bake at home. And the best part is that most people will not be able to tell they’re gluten free!
The buttermilk in these muffins adds a nice depth of flavor and while contributing to the soft texture. While the batter seems dense, the result is a light muffin with minimal crumble. If you prefer your blueberries not to bleed during baking, gently toss them in 1-2 TBS gluten free flour to coat. It should help them stay more intact during baking. Orange zest works well in place of lemon zest for a slightly different variation. Also, if you find yourself without buttermilk, try mixing 1 ½ TBS white vinegar with regular milk and allow to sit for 5 minutes. But go for the real stuff…it tastes much better!
The only thing I will do differently the next time I make these gluten free blueberry buttermilk muffins is to sprinkle the top with raw sugar granules. They were delicious without it, but I’m a sucker for toppings!
Gluten Free Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups 375 grams gluten free flour blend
- 1 ½ teaspoon guar or xanthan gum omit if in flour blend
- ¾ cup 150 grams granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tbs lemon zest
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk
- ⅔ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- ¼ cup raw sugar optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. If you're not using cupcake liners, lightly spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine gluten free flour blend, guar gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, combine beaten egg, buttermilk, oil and extract.
- Pour the liquid buttermilk mixture into the flour and stir until just combined. The batter should be dense but smooth.
- Gently fold in blueberries until just combined. Transfer batter between 12 standard muffin cups. Each one should fill almost to the top. Sprinkle the top with raw sugar if desired.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown on the top.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.
recipe adapted from www.joyofbaking.com
E Maslowski
Horrible result. Two cups of blueberries is ridiculous. The result was a gooey mess that went straight into the trash bin. I o have to admit that I had doubts about this from the beginning and should have used better judgement. A waste of good ingredients.
Amy Wilson
I’m really sorry it didn’t work out for you. I know how frustrating it can be to make something and not have it turn out. I’ve made this exact recipe DOZENS of time for many different people and they turn out wonderful every single time.
Kt
These turned out wet inside. I even baked them 10 min longer. I used Namste flour and followed the recipe. Any advice??!! I like the flavor!
Just As Good Gluten Free
Thanks for reaching out! It’s always frustrating when something doesn’t turn out right and I’m sorry you had trouble! To be honest, I’ve never had an issue with these coming out too wet inside, in fact, quite opposite if I’m not careful. A few thoughts on culprits: 1. were you able to measure the flour? I like to use 150 grams of gf flour per cup and I’ve had terrible results when I don’t weigh my flours. I’m amazed at how much 1-2 Tbs can throw a recipe off. 2. did you use fresh or frozen blueberries? Were they washed and wet before you put them in? If the blueberries seem to be the problem, in the future you could try tossing them with 1 Tbs of flour before mixing in (it will help with an blueberry bleeding too). If you used frozen, it could’ve taken longer for the batter to bake.
Oh gluten free…why do you have to be so complicated! By the way, I know someone who loves Namaste gf flour and her baked goods come out excellent every time (my stomach can’t handle the xanthan gum which is why I don’t use it very often!).
Please let me know if I can help in any other way and I’ll think through other options and let you know if I come up with anything else!
Just As Good Gluten Free
Another thought…do you have a separate oven thermometer? My oven is off by 25 degrees under the temperature I set it at. Another thing that could drastically change your baking!
Edward Maslowski
I revisited this recipe today and found your reply to my comment for the first time. I wanted to try again. This time I reduced the blueberries to one cup the result was outstanding. I made some adjustments to the recipes that I don’t think are game changers.
Your recipe did specify any particular flour blends. (This is OK with me as I usually don’t follow recipes exactly). The flours used in GF baking do make a difference. My blend
160 grams Almond flour
40 grams coconut flour
140 grams Krusteaz blended flour
35 grams Tapioca flour
1 tsp Tara gum (for the almond flour)
1/2 tsp Xanthan (probably didn’t need this)
For the sugar I used a 50- 50 mix of Coconut sugar and Raw cane sugar
I also used Earth Balance buttery sticks instead.of Canola oil, but either one would be fine. I creamed the.margarine with the sugars because Coconut sugar can be lumpy.
I upped eggs to 2 eggs. Almond flour seems to need a little more egg.
In regard to your comment on blueberries I did use fresh blueberries washed and floured in my previous failure. One problem may have been that they were on the large size and added too much liquid when baking But I still believe I get better results with just one cup
I appreciate that you took the time to respond. I would prefer that my previous comment be removed because it is not constructive.
Regarding your later comment about the oven I find that my oven can vary from the the temperature set to 25 degrees too low depending on when you check the temperature. You must have the same brand Range. As an engineer with experience with control systems I recognized it as the method by which the temperature control is implemented. Think cheap. I have a large pizza stone that about the size of the rack and that I keep in the oven. It helps stabilise the temperature.
degrees
Amy Wilson
Wow! I’m impressed and grateful you took the time to share such a thoughtful response. I really appreciate your insight. Gluten free baking can be so tricky, especially with so many variables. I’m constantly humbled and always learning. Thank you for being so willing to come back and share!!!