These muffins are really ‘moist’ (as much as that word makes me cringe!). That’s because they have teff flour and cooked sweet potato in them. Vegetables in baked goods are amazing, as they add a soft texture to the end result. You can be guaranteed to never have dry baked goods, if you add vegetables such as beetroot, sweet potato or pumpkin to a recipe. Another benefit is that they are also generally cheaper than gluten free flours. The end result was a delicious muffin, which was perfect served with greek yoghurt and raspberries for dessert. I’ve also added teff to this recipe in order to use a different gluten free grain I’m less familiar with. Keep reading for a brief rundown on what teff is, and how to use it in your everyday cooking.
What is teff?
Teff is a gluten free grain. It has been a staple grain in Ethiopia for years. It is typically ground into flour and made into injera, a sourdough flatbread. If you live in Melbourne, I would highly recommend you check out Saba’s Ethiopian, a 100% gluten free restaurant where you can try some injera made from teff.
How does teff compare nutritionally? (All values refer to 100g of cooked grain)
Cooked teff contains 3.9g of protein per 100g, which is similar to cooked quinoa at 3.6g. It also contains 2.8g of fibre, which is similar to a slice of bread which on average contains between 1 to 3 g, depending on the brand.
Compared to other cereals it is higher in calcium, at 49mg. Most other cereals contain only 10mg of calcium per 100g. Of course, this doesn’t compare to other animal sources of calcium like a glass milk, which contains 276mg in 100ml.
It also contains B-vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc and manganese and is low in sodium. So it definitely is a great grain to add into a gluten free diet.
How to use it?
You can buy teff grain or flour. The grain can be used instead of rice or quinoa, to add to meals, in fritters or in porridge. The flour can be used in any gluten free recipe, such as pancakes, cakes or brownies. I’ll be adding some more soon!
Where to buy teff?
I purchased my teff grain and flour from the Sunnybrook health food store. Health food stores or gluten free stores will generally stock it.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Kath xx
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/4 cups sweet potato
- 1/3 (66g) cup caster sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (plus more for pecans)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 90g butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (60g) almond meal
- 3/4 cup (120g) teff flour*
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- TOPPING
- 2/3 cup pecans
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease a 12-hole muffin tray. Heat water in a double boiler
- Peel and cut the sweet potato into chunks. Steam until softened (easily pierced with a knife). Allow to cool and mash until smooth.
- In a large bowl place the mashed sweet potato, caster sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, eggs and melted butter. Mix until smooth.
- Add the teff flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Beat by hand until there are no lumps.
- Place the batter into the muffin pan, about 1/2 cup in each hole.
- Toss the pecans in the maple syrup. Gently press into the tops of the muffins, arranging into patterns.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack.
- They are delicious on the day of baking, or heat them for 5 minutes in the oven if you eat the next day. This will help to firm up the pecans.
Notes
I used Bobs Red Mill teff flour.
