Fluffy savoury muffins with ham and cheese
Soft savoury muffins with cooked ham, parmesan and milk: ready in forty minutes and perfect for drinks, buffets and lunchboxes.
Are you looking for a quick savoury idea for drinks or a lunchbox, with no kneading and no proving involved?
Then these savoury muffins are exactly what you need. I will walk you through muffins that rise tall and stay soft, studded with cooked ham and melting cheese right through the crumb, with a golden crust on top.
The method is the classic muffin one: wet ingredients on one side, dry on the other, and then the briefest possible meeting. That is the whole rule: mix as little as you can. The batter must stay lumpy, because every extra stroke develops gluten and turns the muffins into rubbery little bricks.
They have at least three advantages: forty minutes from start to finish, easy to transport, and freezable once baked, so you always have a stash ready for a savoury snack or an improvised buffet.
You can vary the filling almost endlessly. Olives and sun-dried tomatoes, grated and squeezed courgettes, or smoked speck and scamorza: the base batter stays the same, only the additions change.
Serve them warm, while the cheese inside is still soft, or at room temperature on a tray with other finger food. The next day, two minutes in a hot oven brings the crust straight back.
Ready? Let’s get started with savoury muffins.
To make this recipe
A small selection of handy tools to keep within reach. Some links may be affiliate links.
Digital kitchen scale
In leavened recipes and baked goods, it lets you accurately weigh flour, liquids, and yeast.
Steps
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F), conventional setting, and line a twelve-hole muffin tray with paper cases.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and the oil until smooth, then season with the salt and a grind of pepper.
- In another bowl, mix the sifted flour with the baking powder and the parmesan: combining the dry ingredients first prevents lumps and spreads the raising agent evenly.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry one and fold with a spatula in just a few strokes, only until the flour is barely moistened. The batter should stay lumpy: overworking it makes the muffins rubbery.
- Add the diced ham and the melting cheese, giving two or three turns of the spatula to distribute them without mixing further.
- Fill the cases three quarters full using two spoons and finish with a pinch of parmesan on top.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until risen and deep golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out dry. Let them cool for five minutes in the tray before turning them out.
Helpful tips
Do not overmix the batter: lumps are normal and they are what keeps the muffins soft.
Swap the ham for olives, sun-dried tomatoes or grated and squeezed courgettes for a vegetarian version.
They freeze very well once baked: thaw at room temperature and warm them for two minutes in a hot oven.
They stay soft for two days in a sealed container, though they are clearly at their best on the day.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 28.0 g
- Sugars
- 3.0 g
- Protein
- 12.0 g
- Fat
- 17.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 5.0 g
- Fiber
- 1.0 g
- Sodium
- 520 mg
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