Low Fat Muffins

Those low-fat muffins look great in the photo and the instructions simply say to "stir the ingredients together." And so you do.

In fact, you give the batter a little extra stir so those muffins will be even better.

What the recipe doesn't tell you is that stirring develops gluten, which gives strength and elasticity to batters and doughs.
While these qualities are important in doughs made with yeast, strength and elasticity are not desirable in quick breads.

Muffins and biscuits need a tender framework that rises quickly as baking soda and baking powder give off carbon dioxide.

Stirring is even less optimal in low-fat, low-sugar baked goods, because both sugar and fat are tenderizers.
When you reduce tenderizers, keep structure-builders to a minimum too. In this case, stir as little as possible after the flour is added.


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