I have tried many times to bake a savoury muffin compatible with a fussy seven-year-old’s palate, but have never succeeded. So last week, when I decided to make a batch while clearing out some bits and pieces from the fridge, I fully expected that they would end up in the freezer with the other snacks that are acceptable to the rest of the family, but never destined for the lunchbox.

But I thought I’d try my luck anyway. We’ve had a few small wins lately with trying (and even accepting) some new foods, so I thought it worth it.

When he asked what was in them, he immediately screwed up his nose at the mention of zucchini. Until I reminded him that he eats (and likes) zucchini cake and that he can’t taste the zucchini in there. So he shrugged and bit into a muffin, then immediately proceeded to moan and rub his belly in delight. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

Whilst I couldn’t convince him to try the sweet potato, feta and spinach variation (that’s just a bridge too far), he loved the bacon, cheese and zucchini muffins so much that he even pinched another while I wasn’t looking (that’s the kind of theft I’ll happily overlook for now). He preferred the look of the mini loaves and so has now requested that “lunchbox loaves” become part of the regular lunchbox rotation. I stand before you one happy mum. So here’s the recipe if you’d like to try them at your place too.

Note: If you’re making both versions at once as I did, you’ll need to use two mixing bowls to make each batch separately, and follow the measurements below. If you’re choosing to do just one variation, either follow the measurements below for a small batch, or double all of the measurements for a larger batch. A small batch makes 9 small-medium muffins, a double batch 18 (or 12 muffins and 6 mini loaves).

I always use wholemeal spelt flour in my lunchbox baking for the added fibre it provides, but the recipe should work well with other flours. If you choose to use wholemeal wheat flour, I would suggest using half white flour with it, as all wholemeal would be quite heavy.

Savoury Spelt Muffins Two Ways

Ingredients (per single batch):

1 cup wholemeal spelt flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

Variation 1:

100g grated zucchini, excess liquid squeezed out

3/4 cup (75g) grated tasty cheese

75g diced shortcut bacon (3 slices) (or ham)

1 tsp dijon mustard (add to wet ingredients)

Variation 2:

100g grated sweet potato (or pumpkin would work)

80g crumbled feta

30g chopped baby spinach

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Place dry ingredients into large mixing bowl and mix to distribute salt and baking powder through flour.
3. Add grated vegetables and cheese options to bowl and mix to coat in flour.
4. Mix eggs, oil and milk in a small bowl and add to flour and vegetable mix. Stir to combine, being careful not to over-mix.
5. Spoon into muffin tins or cases and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Enjoy!