Soaked Spelt Berry Muffins Recipe | Foodal (2024)

I don’t remember the first time I ate a strawberry. Do you?

I wonder if I liked it right away or if it took some time. I feel like I always liked strawberries, but who knows?

I mean, some things take time to warm up to.

For example, I do recall the first time I soaked flour, and it was no strawberry.

For my first soaked whole grain bread experience, I wasn’t sure if I made it correctly, and my inexperience with yeasted dough resulted in a disappointing loaf.

I could have given up immediately, and vowed from that day forward to never soak whole grain flour ever again! There’s a bit of a learning curve with this technique, so why continue trying to do it?

Because it’s so much easier to digest, and so delicious!

If you’re new to this technique, soaking refers to a do-ahead step of mixing flour with warm water or another liquid and an acidic ingredient like kefir, yogurt,apple cider vinegar,or buttermilk. You then let that mixture stand at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.

The process breaks down the phytates and makes the grains easier for your body to digest. This is good for your health, and improves the texture of your batter as well – the grains become softer while they’re soaking, resulting in a smoother, more tender baked good.

Jumping back into the ring with soaking not as an opponent, but rather as a teammate,I made one of the best recipes for mixed berry muffins, and I’m so excited to share it with you.

My recipe has a soaked spelt flour base, a few simple add-ins, and a handful of juicy blueberries and chopped sweet strawberries.

I also added not just any crumble topping,but the one from my rhubarb coffee cake with cinnamon and ginger that I couldn’t stop baking all last summer.

While there is a little flour in the topping that is not soaked (and which you can feel free to omit, if you choose), this recipe is still a BIG and DELICIOUS win for soaking whole grains!

The muffins are golden on the outside, and moist and tender on the inside. The berries have a nice tartness, and the lightly spiced crumble on top provides the perfect crunchy finish to each bite.

They’ll make a fruity addition to your typical lineup of morning muffin recipes.

With the very best and juiciest berries, a fun new technique, and the buttery crumble topping, you won’t need any time at all to warm up to this tasty recipe for muffins!

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Soak the Flour

Make sure you plan ahead for this particular recipe, as this step takes at least 12 hours!

The day before baking, you are going to start by soaking the flour.

Measure the flour into a medium-sized bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the warm water and yogurt. Pour the water and yogurt mixture into the flour, and mix with a sturdy spatula or spoon until a very thick paste forms.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container with a lid. Let stand at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.

After at least 12 hours have passed, the mixture will lose its stiffness. The texture will be thick yet slightly runny, sticky, and gooey. It may look and feel weird to you, but this is exactly how it should be!

The grains will continue to break down and soften the more you let the mixture rest. But I do not recommend letting it rest for more than 24 hours – the mixture may begin to ferment and sour at this stage.

Step 2 – Make the Crumble Topping

Once the flour has soaked, preheat the oven to 375°F and continue with the remaining steps. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and let it cool slightly.

Make the crumble topping by whisking together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix together until a crumbly mixture forms. You should be able to press the mixture together with your hands and have it stay together in large, solid clumps.

Set the crumble aside as you prepare the batter.

Step 3 – Prep and Make the Batter

Place the soaked flour and water mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Add the egg, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and sea salt (everything except the berries) to the flour mixture. Mix at medium-high speed until a hom*ogenous mixture forms. The batter will be slightly runny.

Step 4 – Assemble in Pan

Fill the prepared cups in the muffin pan about 3/4 of the way full with the batter.

Evenly and gently divide the blueberries and chopped strawberries, and scatter them on top of the batter. Evenly divide the crumble mixture and distribute it on top of the berries.

Note: Why should you place the berries on top of the batter, instead of mixing them into the batter? Because this batter tends to be thinner than more traditional muffin batters, there is a risk that all of the berries may sink to the bottom of the cups if they are mixed directly into the batter.

By gently placing the berries on top of the batter rather than mixing them in, the berries will be dispersed more evenly closer to the top and middle of the batter as it bakes and rises.

Step 5 – Bake

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned and puffy.

Remove immediately from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Serve and enjoy!