The Blueberry Baking Hack You're Better Off Avoiding

There's something nostalgic about a blueberry muffin or cake topped with crumble and riddled with bright, blue pops of fruit. But some bakers go through a lot of work to prep those berries before they go into the batter of baked goods, such as rolling them in cornstarch beforehand. Cookbook author and founder of The First Year, Beth Baumgartner, doesn't do that, though. She suggested it might be an unnecessary step and one that's worth skipping.

"Some bakers coat blueberries in cornstarch because it can help absorb excess moisture released during baking and reduce the chances of the batter turning blue," she said in an exclusive interview with The Takeout. "But personally, I don't find that it makes a huge difference."

Bakers also dust their blueberries with cornstarch to keep them from sinking into the batter, avoiding muffins with all the berries at the bottom and none in the crown. Baumgartner said she tackles the sinking problem by focusing on the batter instead of the berries. "I prefer starting with a thicker batter ... because that naturally keeps the blueberries suspended without needing an extra step," she said. "In my experience, there really aren't major problems with using blueberries as-is, especially if your batter is thick enough to support them, so it comes down more to recipe structure than whether or not you coat the berries."

Bakers try all kinds of methods to enhance the flavor and overall appearance of blueberry baked goods, including patting their berries dry after washing to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Some people toss blueberries in lemon or sugar to help amplify and complement the fruit's natural qualities. But the batter is the secret to baked goods evenly populated with blueberries, and the technique of adding in the berries matters too.

Beth Baumgartner gave us a foolproof method for getting those fruits into the batter. "A more reliable approach is using a thicker batter, gently folding the blueberries in at the end, and saving a few to place on top for better distribution and appearance, which helps ensure the berries bake evenly without sinking," she said. 

If you're making muffins, consider letting the batter rest before baking to improve the texture. Not feeling muffins? What about muffin-donut hybrids using a little melted butter and sugar, or this blueberry babka recipe for an anytime dessert that's bursting with flavor?