Savory Buckwheat, Millet & Zucchini Muffins with Cheddar & Herbs
With the overflow of zucchini at the farm and some yummy local cheddar cheese in my fridge, I knew I had to whip up a batch of savory muffins. And these babies did not disappoint. With a pungent bite from some fresh green onions, loads of shredded zucchini, herbs, and a lovely buttery bite from the cheddar cheese these muffins will for sure become a staple in our home all summer long. I loved combining a couple of different flours like buckwheat, millet and amaranth (I’ll link substitutions if you don’t have them all on hand) which made for a yummy and nourishing muffin. I’ve still been digging my grain mill and love the flavor of the freshly milled grains, but of course these work just fine with already milled flour. These were gobbled up by my one-year-old and I felt really good about all the ingredients that were packed into each bite. It’s nice to have a muffin in the house that isn’t sweet and can stand in for a biscuit or slice of sourdough bread at dinnertime. These would be great with the addition of bacon or sausage added to the batter but I kept them pretty simple for this first go-around.
I hope you all enjoy these savory muffins as much as we do. Cheers to zucchini season!!
Savory Buckwheat, Millet & Zucchini Muffins with Cheddar & Herbs
Prep Time: overnight Cook Time: 25 minutes Serves: 12 muffins
- 3/4 cup millet flour (See note)
- 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup amaranth flour (see note)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
Preparation
- The evening before baking, mix your flours with the yogurt and place in a warm spot in your kitchen. Cover with a towel. (see note)
- The next morning preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin tin and set it aside.
- Add the baking soda, salt, and herbs to the bowl with the dough. Add the scallions, eggs, and melted butter. Fold in the cheese and zucchini until just combined.
- Fill the muffin tins and bake in the oven until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a muffin. About 25 minutes. Start checking the muffins around the 22 minute mark. Cooking times will vary depending on your oven.
Notes
If you don't have millet or amaranth flour, you can make up the difference with all-purpose flour. It's important to soak the flour in the yogurt the evening before to help break down the phtyic acid in the grains. This step helps to make the grains more easily digested and nutritious.
I use store-bought organic yogurt. Can I leave that out overnight after it has been refrigerated it’s whole life before coming to my home?
Hi Stephanie! Thank you for your comment. And yes, you’re leaving your yogurt out at room temperature (or even warmer) to soak the grains before cooking. This allows the natural enzymes and other helpful organisms to begin fermenting the grains which will neutralize a large portion of the phtyic acid and make the grains more nutritious and easier to digest. For more information on this whole topic and process I highly recommend the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. But the long and short, it’s perfectly safe to soak your grains in the yogurt at room temp overnight. Keep the yogurt you aren’t using in the recipe refrigerated for another use. Happy baking!
Hi Andrea! These muffins (and all the other recent ones) sounded so good I went to the store for buckwheat flour immediately, and I have no regrets. As a person with gluten intolerance, I love seeing recipes that use alternative flours and taste as good (if not better) than their plain flour counterparts. These muffins were melt in my mouth good, and in the spirit of local dirt I used as many local ingredients as possible!
I only had to make a few tiny changes to work with what I had. I buy a super thick Greek yogurt and was worried the water content would be off, so I thinned it a bit with whole milk. I also left the bowl in my oven with the light on to soak the grains, because room temperature in my apartment here in Maine is only about 65-70 degrees! It worked perfectly.
I’m so looking forward to trying the beet muffins, and the berry ones…I’ve been picking wild blueberries every week and I’m drowning in them! Thanks again for this recipe!
Yay!!! I’m so happy to hear you loved these too. I like your adaptations and think the oven with the light on was a great idea. And thinning with the milk was even better. I just made a buttermilk buckwheat carrot muffin that I’ll be sharing soon with the same method of soaking the grains in the buttermilk and they turned out great. Thank you for sharing you success! Happy baking!!