Sweet Corn and Spring Onion Eggless Muffins

A cup of steaming tea and a favourite book, is how several of us would like to unwind over the weekend. Add to this some warm fragrant home bakes, and the picture is complete. Ask anyone who bakes even sporadically, and their answer would be that baking is a delicious stress buster!  The heavenly aroma that wafts through the house when baking some warm bread or muffins at home is incentive enough, not to mention the other benefits of enjoying fresh bakes whenever the whim takes you. The ability to choose good quality ingredients (whole meal vs refined flour or organic to name a few choices) and omit a multitude of preservatives that are found in commercial bakes are another positive.
Having tried out several sweet bakes over the years, I’ve always looked out for chances to bake something savoury. The availability of sweet corn at this time of the year, coupled with the contest at IFBM co-hosted by Freedom Tree swung the balance in it’s favour. Everyone I know would love to own some of the vibrantly coloured Freedom Tree bakeware. So here is my attempt at winning some of them! This recipe is an entry to the IFBM and Freedom Tree Baking Contest.
These muffins are as much at home with your hot cuppa as in the kids’ snack box. Make extra over the weekend, store covered in the fridge and pack some for the kids too.

Here is how I baked my afternoon’s quota of bliss.
Allergy Information

• Contains wheat, corn, dairy. NOT suitable for people with gluten intolerance.
• Suitable for people with lactose intolerance as milk is not used.
• Does NOT contain nuts.

Preparation Time – 20 minutes, Cooking Time – 30 minutes, Makes – 8 medium muffins.
Ingredients

1. Whole wheat flour – 1 1/2 cups
2. Sweet corn kernels – 1/2 cup
3. Spring onions – 1/2 cup chopped
4. Green chilli – 2-4
5. Vegetable oil – 1/4 cup+1 tbsp
6. Thick curd / yoghurt – 3/4 cup
7. Baking powder – 1 tsp
8. Baking soda – 1 tsp
9. Salt – 1/4 tsp
10. Oregano – few pinches to sprinkle
11. Mozzarella cheese  - 50 gm out of a block

Method

1. Blanch the fresh sweet corn kernels for 2 minutes in boiling water. Or zip in microwave at high power for a minute. Run the corn along with green chilli in the mixer to a coarse paste. A few kernels can remain whole.
2. Clean the spring onions and chop real fine. Measure 1/4 cup packed well. Set aside.
3. Dice the mozzarella cheese into 1 cm cubes, you will need 16 such cubes. Set aside.
4. Whisk the curd /yoghurt along with measured oil in a mixer until homogenous (a few pulses in mixer will do)
5. Preheat oven to 180 C.
6. In a large bowl, measure out the whole wheat flour, add in the baking powder, baking soda and combine well with a dry whisk. Tip in the chopped spring onions and corn mash. Add salt, whisked yoghurt+oil, and use wire whisk to mix all ingredients through.
7. Line an 8 muffin pan with well greased paper liners. If you have a 6 muffin pan, you can bake in 2 batches too. Keep the batter waiting in the fridge for it’s turn.
8. Fill 1/3 of each cavity with batter. Gently place in 2 cubes cheese per muffin. Cover with more batter, sprinkle oregano on top.  
9. Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes, add or reduce baking time as required. Watch out for the last 3 minutes of baking. The muffin is done when the top is golden brown and  a tooth pick inserted through the sides (not centre –it has cheese, remember?) of the muffin come clean.
10. Enjoy warm as is, or with a dab of sour cream.