I usually bake corn muffins without liners, but ran out of pan spray for the second half of the batter. No big deal, had liners on hand so used those instead not expecting it to effect the muffins all that much. Same bake time, same amount of batter, but the rise on the lined muffins was noticeably higher.
My family says they enjoyed the texture of the muffins in the liners more as well, so guess this is how I'll be making them from now on.
Out of curiosity, why are the results so different?
by BreakBright
20 Comments
It’s just a guess but the batter in the lined tins may have risen more because it clings to the paper. If you’re using spray, that’s more slippery and possibly leads to less rise.
I don’t know for sure though!
Off the top of my head I bet it’s steam escaping in all directions vs only being able to escape the top cause of the paper
I believe it’s because the liners create a pocket of air around them, they aren’t in direct contact with the metal, giving more time for the leavening to occur during the bake
Paper probably allows for a more even bake because of moisture or something. Sciencey stuff.
From an engineering perspective the rate of heat transfer is going to be drastically different. The liner prevents the majority of the contact between the muffin and the metal pan so you’ll get slower heat transfer
From appearance the lined muffins have a lighter fluffier texture while the unlined seems slightly darker and denser, I imagine even though you did spray so they didn’t stick as much they still did a bit. We use the liners to both keep the shape and so its not in direct contact with the tray, that way it bakes a bit more evenly and the added support from the liner causes it to rise slightly higher.
The oil in the non-liner muffins impeded the rise bc the cake couldn’t “grip” the pan as easily as the liner muffins. (This is why you never oil an angel food cake pan — otherwise the cake doesn’t rise at all.)
The oiled muffins though have a crust that is usually more enjoyable, especially in cornbread.
Thanks for sharing! I never would have guessed this would happen.
My grandma always floured her cake pans after buttering them so the dough could climb the pan better.
They can cling to the paper to use to creep up when baking. Where as hen in a greased pan they can’t.
When I’m not using a silicone muffin pan, I use parchment paper liners. They don’t stick to the muffins like standard paper liners. I wonder how a parchment liner muffin might compare with these teo.
Have you tried silver foil ones for comparison
This is a great post and answers a question I had!
I’ve had this issue and never put 2 and 2 together that it was because of the liners. Thank you
Thank you for posting this. I have my eye on a jumbo muffin pan. I have also been looking for liners and truly wondering what the difference would be. You saved me some valuable time and money!!
my scientifically incorrect take is that it is a corset
Direct vs. Indirect heat yooo
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I’m glad you posted this I basically never use liners for any type of muffin, only cupcakes. I’m going to start using them
What I’m really curious to know is which one did you prefer? Was there a significant difference in taste and texture?