BURNT ORANGE, BLACK PEPPER AND PANCETTA MUFFINS

These are some seriously foodie muffins and the flavour combination is astounding thanks to the savoury, salty pancetta paired with sweet baked orange. Dig out this recipe when you're looking to impress for sure. It's the ultimate baking goals.

Ingredients

3 oranges

150 g smoked pancetta cubed

425 g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

75 g caster sugar

2 large eggs

280 ml buttermilk

120 ml sunflower oil

4 sprigs thyme

1 tsp black pepper coarse ground

20 g demerara sugar

2 tsp sea salt

12 large muffin cases

Method

Preheat the oven to 100ºC. Peel the oranges using a peeler (try to only get the skin and leave the pith). Slice into strips and save the peeled oranges. Spread the orange peel over a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes then set aside for later.
Raise the temperature of the oven to 220ºC. Sit the muffin cases into a muffin tray in preparation for the mixture.
Put a small frying pan over a high heat and add the pancetta. Fry for 5 minutes, until the pancetta turns golden and begins to crisp up.
Weigh the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with a silicone beater attachment. Combine the dry ingredients then add the eggs, buttermilk and oil. Mix gently until fully combined, taking care not to overwork the mixture. Tip the orange peel, thyme and black pepper into a Mini Food Chopper and blitz to a rough crumb. Add the pancetta and blitz to a crumb again. Drop about ¾ of the crumb into the batter and combine again.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases, making sure they are filled ¾ of the way up. Scatter the remaining pancetta mix over the batter and sprinkle with the demerara sugar and a pinch of sea salt. Place them into the oven and immediately turn it down to 180ºC. Bake for 25 minutes, until risen, golden and if you poke a clean skewer into the muffin it comes out clean. Allow to cool in the muffin tins for 10 minutes before lifting onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Makes 12