buttermilk crumb muffins

bismillahirrahmanirraheem..
assalamu'alaikum wrm wbt,

lepas tengok cerita the lorax sama2.. anak2 sedara datang rumah
katanya nak bawak something utk potluck (or isit farewell?) ke opis esok
dia nak buat yang simpel2 ja.. say.. a muffins?
saya pun belek2 buku nigella.. buku jamie.. tp xdak yg menarik hati
bila terjumpa buttermilk crumb muffins dlm buku baking with julia
terus tergoda! sebab ada buttermilk! pasti lembut gebus ;)

sumber: baking with julia by dorie greenspan

• 2 1/2cups all-purpose flour
• 2cups light brown sugar <-- next time i'll reduce to 1 1/4C
• 2/3cups solid vege shortening <-- i use butter (150g)
• 2tsp baking powder 
• 1/2tsp baking soda
• 1/2tsp cinnamon
• 1/2tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 350° (170C) . Line with muffin-liners, a 12-cup muffin tin. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, measure out 1/2cup and set it aside to use as the crumb topping.
3. Add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to the remaining flour mixture and stir with forks. Add the buttermilk and eggs. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the ingredients are well blended, until batter is thick and shiny.
4. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups about 2/3cups full. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the reserved crumb mixture and pat it gently onto the batter. if you have any empty muffins mould, fill halfway with water. this will help muffins bake evenly.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

lembut! i simply love buttermilk :)

Variations:

• Add ½ cup chocolate chips along with the spices.
• Add ½ cup chopped nuts to the reserved topping mixture.
• The batter and crumb topping may be spread in a greased and floured 9x9-inch baking pan to make a coffee cake.

to be frank.. i totally forgot abt the leavening agent: baking soda & baking powder! huhuhu.. it does raise a bit.. but not as nice and as soft as a muffins-should-be. its quite good tho.. love the buttermilk effect ~ soft. harap2 teman sepejabat anak sedara sudi makan.. anyhow, next time (insyallah.. will do it again) i will just put 2tsp baking powder and omit the baking soda. and add chopped nuts to the crumb.. insyaallah.. insyaallah..