#10 Muffin: Prince of Foods
Friends,
I’ve been asked to adopt a theme song for the Weekly Muffin. While there is only one true contender – only one musician whose studio is called the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen – I needed to do some diligence. So I did what my contemporaries do and searched for the word “muffin” on Genius.
Let me be clear: I don’t advise this search. Though I basically knew what to expect, I was by no means seeking the misogynistic tripe I ultimately found. A male consensus has formed regarding the slang meaning of the word that, frankly, makes it difficult to find good reference points for a family-friendly publication like this one. It’s been a few days since I did this search, but if I recall correctly, the only female singer who made any mention of a muffin (utility or no) was Lady Gaga.
Maybe I shouldn’t be faux-shocked at the sexualization of the word “muffin.” Muffins are an exemplar of home baking, the traditional realm of housewives and homemakers, or, as The Toast put it, “(the stuff your mom makes you because she has to — because she’s a woman, because she belongs in the kitchen, etc. etc. etc.)” Makes sense that women can handle muffins, just dainty little quick breads, because we lack the “stamina” for more arduous kitchen tasks. It's intuitive, then, that the work of women everywhere—including Justice Ginsburg—is powered by muffins.
The feminization of muffins runs deeper than the food itself. In 1992, one (female) New York pastry chef told the New York Times, "You can be a lady and work in a kitchen if you are in pastry. . . . Otherwise, it's hard to maintain your ladylike behavior." Even today, chefs tend to be men, bakers women; the “pink ghetto” of pastry is well documented. Certainly none of the cookbook authors whose muffins I have admired are men, although one of the recipes I adapted for the below perversion of a banana muffin is, indeed, authored by two dudes.
I might be feeling the chip on my shoulder a little more than usual having just watched the women’s artistic gymnastics qualifying rounds, quickly followed by men’s swimming and its concomitant chest thumping. (The Olympics are rife with gender norms.) Or maybe it’s the bell hooks I’ve been reading.
So the adoption of the theme song is not just a result of my utter failure to find an even remotely acceptable second option, but also that I can’t help but feel like a guy who wrote these lines just… gets it.
Girl, you thought he was a man, but he only was a muffin
He hung around till you found that he didn’t know nothin’
More soon,
HBW
International Muffin Committee
Miso Banana Muffins
adapted from Food and Wine and Good to the Grain
Note: This recipe was inspired by a strong contender in the office bakeoff last month. I tried to combine the concept of a miso banana muffin with a favorite banana cereal muffin and came up with... a work in progress. The recipe is very cakey and almost fragile. They might be improved with less butter, but I haven't tested it. Also, do not do what I did and overfill the muffin cups; the muffins need room to rise in order to develop their structure. Finally, be warned that these are not the sweetest muffins. I like their savory angle but some members of my household are less keen.
3 large overripe bananas
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rye flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white miso
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease two muffin tins, line with paper liners, or use non-stick tins.
Mash the bananas in a small bowl. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and miso until fluffy. Add the buttermilk, then beat in the eggs one at a time. It will appear grotesque. Add in the oatmeal, bananas and the dry ingredients, and beat briefly until smooth.
Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 of the way. Bake about 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack before removing from the pan.
Yield: 16-18 muffins.
