Muffin Success! (Kind Of)

After my disastrous first attempt at baking, I was determined to get it right again this weekend. Also check out the baking debrief: here.

So today, I lined up everything I would need in the recipe within arm's length on the kitchen counter:

(There's also yoghurt, which I forgot and had to run back and forth to the fridge in the middle of mixing.)

The most important two things which I forgot the last time coz I didn't have them in the kitchen were the whisk and sieve:


WOWEE! What a difference! Mixing the eggs and all with the whisk this time around churned out a nice, thick-ish yellow gloop. The first attempt whisking with a fork had churned out a runny liquid the texture of water. I was onto something here... was too intent on getting it right, I didn't think to take pictures in the middle of mixing. Too stressed!

This is what the final dough looked like before it went into the oven:


Decided to add 2 bananas into the dough after mixing everything together, so that's what those yellow bits are (oh yes, I also put the sea salt through the grinder this time!) My mom taught me a trick: don't mash the bananas up, cut them into tiny cubes so they're still recognizable - for better texture when you bite into it later. It works!)

I peeked into the oven 2 minutes later, and it looked like the muffins were starting to rise a little bit. YAY! My colleagues were right about Baking Powder being enough to make them rise!

12 minutes later, I popped them out the oven and this is what they looked like:


And just in case you can't see that they've risen, here's another muffin profile shot:

(Kelly and I had helped ourselves to some already by this point in time).

OK, this time around they were definitely a lot more moist and less dense and soil-like, so I think this is what they're supposed to taste like. Hmm... it's not quite chocolate muffins (feels like it's still lacking some kind of kick)... but for 100% wheat-free, sugar-free, yeast-free Banana-Carob Muffins that can be eaten on a Candida Parasite Cleanse, I suppose they're OK. Well, by regular standards (ie. if you're looking for Banana CHOCOLATE Muffins) I'd say they're pretty crap, but they're passable if you're on a cleanse like me, and can't eat regular chocolate muffins even though you're craving them.

Otherwise, here's the so-so recipe for Carob Muffins/ Loaf I found off an internet forum:
Modified from The Stevia Cookbook by Ray Sahelian and Donna Gates. The actual recipe uses cocoa and makes mini-muffins.

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup carob powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp instant grain coffee substitute
2 large eggs
3/4 cup *Kefir (dairy) (recipe calls for 1/2 cup chocolate milk and 1/4 cup Kefir... you could likely use a milk substitute here, too) (or you could use silken tofu in place of the kefir, if you tolerate it once in a while)
1 tsp vanilla flavouring
1 tbsp stevia liquid concentrate (1 tsp stevia in 3 tbsp water)
3 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 cup melted *butter (or whatever you use to substitute)
2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (I used bananas instead)

Combine wet and dry ingredients separately. Work wet and dry together. Fold in nuts. Cook muffins about 12 minutes at 350 F/ 180 C and a loaf about 50 minutes.

I'm still looking for more wheat-free, sugar-free, yeast-free baking and cooking recipes, so if you've got any, please share!