Delicacies from the Basement: A Look at the Queen of Muffins

Welcome to the Birmingham Public Library's Delicacies from the Basement: an Archive's cooking blog series! I am starting these posts with a recipe taken from the Rumford Cookbook.

For those of you who may not know, Rumford is a company that specializes in baking powder and has been in operation since 1856. The recipe that I am using is from 1906. This recipe is for the Queen of Muffins. Only the most royal of baking goods would be able to launch this foray into culinary history. 

If you wish to view the collections or cookbooks you can call 205-226-3631 or email me at connor.marullo@cobpl.org

Collection: Long Family Papers AR2091.10.3

To start, let's break down the recipe to see what worked and what did not. For reference, a scan of the original recipe can be found at the bottom of this post. The instructions require that you cream a stick of butter while slowly adding in the sugar and eggs. With the modern conveniences of an electric mixer, this shouldn't take too long. I used a wooden spoon, so it took a bit longer than I wanted, but the results turned out well. Especially compared to a coworker who used a mixer. The consistency of the muffins for both bakes was roughly the same. 

Once the butter has been creamed and the sugar mixed into the batter, you add the eggs. Sift the baking soda and flour before adding it, alternating with the milk. Again, modern appliances will make the constant mixing easy on the arms. The ingredients combined easily and thoroughly. After adding the milk, baking soda, and flour, you are ready to pour the batter into a muffin pan and bake. Here is where the cookbook throws us a curve ball—it does not include a temperature to set the oven, so I tried 370℉ with no issue. Luckily, the baking time was included with the recipe and after 25 minutes, they should be done. My coworker cooked the muffins at 350℉ for 30 minutes and the muffins turned out about the same.

When the muffins finish baking, they are ready to eat. I highly recommend eating these muffins warm. They are softer and easier to chew. As the muffins cool, they will become denser. They resemble a biscuit more than a muffin, although they retain a subtle sweetness. My coworker commented that they almost resemble the taste of sweet cornbread and would likely go well with chili. Due to the tougher texture, I recommend adding butter, jam, or honey to add some flavor and moisture to the muffin. 

Final thoughts on this bake: the recipe was simple and easy to follow. While cooking appliances would make the preparation easier, they are not necessary for this recipe. The muffins do not take long to bake and are hardy. These are not delicate muffins, by any means. It is easy to tell they come from a different time.

All in all, I would give this recipe 3 archival boxes out of 5!

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By Connor Marullo | Assistant Archivist, Archives & Manuscripts Department