A RATHER DESPERATE MUFFIN CALLED MUDDING : MAKING MUFFINS WITHOUT THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS

Mr Washy had a banana that was going off. We arrived in the dam the day before and were jet lagged. We decided to make muffins with the banana... only that there was no milk and butter... Argh! We could have given up the muffin making idea and did something else with the banana but we were desperate to try our new silicon bakeware.

We ordered this silicon muffin tray amongst other things to be sent to the dam a while back. We never really baked because we do not have the equipments and trays! There is no excuse now.

We have heard so much about silicon bakewares. That they are easy to clean, hardy, and extremely non-stick. Sounds like just the thing undomestic peasants like us need. Here is why we love the silicon bakeware:

• OK, we love the color. It is so cool and not the usual tin color. 
• It is easy to clean. You'd still have to scrub it but it is non-stick! Really!
• You might think of silicon as something that might melt in the oven. No! This is new age material and very cool and reliable.
• There is no silicon smell on it. We have read about people who complained silicon smell and taste in their food. But this did not happen to us.
• It is cool when you handle it. It cooled down so quick after you remove it from the oven.
• Pop and go. Because the silicon is malleable, just pop and out the muffin comes. There is no need to use a knife to careful scrape out the baked goods.
• Oh, the best of it, you do not need to grease your tray. So, less fat!

Back to the muffin... we found an easy enough recipe that requires vegetable oil instead of butter. A healthier option. We were jumping with joy in the prospect of christening the silicon muffin tray. But we didn't realize that we do not have milk! We replaced the ingredients with ours (in red).

200g blueberries 1 big over-ripe banana and we threw in some blueberries
200g plain flour  no baking powder so we used 200g of self rising flour
2tsp baking powder we don't have this
125g caster sugar a dash normal sugar, considering vla and banana are sweet
175ml milk or buttermilk we used vla, a dutch yoghurty custard
2 eggs
150ml vegetable oil

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Lightly oil the muffin tin molds ha! we didn't need to do this to our silicon bakeware. Cut the berries we mashed the banana in half.

Sift the flour and baking powder into the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, egg and oil together until smooth. Actually, we put everything in a blender and blended it.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, and quickly, lightly, beat in the liquid mixture. Fold in the berries and spoon the batter into the muffin molds. We just poured the mixture onto the silicon ware.

Bake for 25 minutes or until risen and golden, and cool on a wire rack. Serve while still warm, or eat the same day. We ate it. 

Our muffins were a bit dense because of the vla. A bit like a pudding-y bread-and-butter-like consistency., hence the name 'mudding'. OK, we also didn't sift the flour. It is no doubt a healthier option and yummy too.