The Development Of A Definite Technique In Muffin Making

Author

Pearline Westbrooks, Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College

Date of Award

8-1937

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Degree Discipline

Home Economics

Abstract

The old-fashioned cook seemingly slaps things together without rhyme or reason, yet she usually turns out tip-top products. This is because she has acquired a sense of knowing exactly how things feel or look, but her knowledge was obtained by the trial and error method. Such a sense, however, is acquired by long hours on the job, hours which the modern woman with her great variety of interest would prefer spending elsewhere other than in the kitchen. The old fashion cook must learn, therefore, to know what factors contribute toward success and how to control them. Because of a definite interest in developing a technique for the preparation of standard flour mixtures, the writer has chosen to learn how to make a standard muffin. To be sure that the term technique is understood the following definition is included. Technique means the combining form of art, skill, and craft. The results of this experimentation will be compared with the findings of other workers who have had similar problem experiments on flour mixture. Some of the experimentors on flour mixtures are Belle Lowe; Evelyn G. Halliday and Isabel T. Noble; Margaret M. Justin, Lucile Osborn Rust, and Gladys E. Vail.

The Characteristics of Good Muffins

These workers agree that the characteristics of standard muffins are large for their weight, golden "brown in color, and symmetrical in shape. The top should be free from knobs or peaks. The crust should be crisp, but not hard and thick. A cross-section of the muffin should show moist crumbs medium fine, evenly distributed air spaces with no narrow tunnels.

The Kind of Utensils Used

A discussion will follow which includes the types and kinds of utensils which are to be used in this experiment. In the manipulation of ingredients, a porcelain, or heavy glass bowl with sloping sides is preferable. This kind of bowl is heavy enough to keep its position and not move around with the slightest touch, and it has a slope which makes effective stirring possible. It is easy to turn out or remove dough from such a bowl. The aluminum bowl is not considered a good mixing bowl, because a discoloration of the product will be the result. The aluminum bowl will worry or annoy one in the mixing of ingredients. Therefore, the earthenware bowl will be used in this experiment as it is one of the desirable ones for mixing.

Committee Chair/Advisor

Huldah Owen

Committee Member

Huldah Owen

Publisher

Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College

Rights

© 2021 Prairie View A & M University

Date of Digitization

9/2/2021

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Westbrooks, P. (1937). The Development Of A Definite Technique In Muffin Making. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/340