Feta, Roasted Pepper, and Basil Muffins

These muffins are perfect match for tomato soup or serve them on their own for a quick breakfast.  The savory ingredients that I folded into the muffin dough are exchangeable.  Try substituting the feta, pepper and basil for cheddar and jalapenos or chives, bacon, and cheddar.

 Ingredients

• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3⁄4 cup jarred roasted red bell pepper, patted dry and chopped into 1⁄4-inch dice
• 8 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
• 1⁄4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in the center. Lightly coat the muffin tin with melted butter.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In the medium bowl, stir together the feta cheese, roasted bell pepper, and chopped basil. Set aside.
4. Pour the buttermilk into the measuring cup. Add the olive oil and the egg and whisk together until well blended.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
6. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and stir gently with a spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few small lumps scattered throughout are fine—they will disappear during baking.
7. Gently fold in the 2/3 of the feta cheese mixture until evenly distributed in the batter.
8. Use the large ice cream scoop or 2 soup spoons to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
9. Add a some of the mixture to the tops of each batter pile.
10. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are slightly browned, feel firm, and a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean.
11. Transfer the muffin tin to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently run a thin knife or spatula around each muffin to free it from the pan, lift out the muffins, and transfer them to a rack to finish cooling (careful, these are tender while hot). Serve warm.
12. When completely cool, the muffins can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic or sealed in a resealable plastic bag, for 2 days. Reheat, wrapped in foil, in a 325°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until warmed through. The muffins can also be frozen for up to 1 month, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then sealed in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Thaw, still wrapped, for 30 minutes before reheating.

I adapted this recipe from Sur La Table.  The biggest change is significantly increasing the cheese mixture.