The Genius Trick for Making Sky-High Muffins at Home

I love baking , and while I can follow simple baking recipes and make them my own with some minor tweaks, I more often than not buy my muffins. (Costco muffins are a favorite in my family.) It's not that I'm incapable of making them, but I never felt confident that my muffins would have those domed and crackled tops with the sparkling turbinado sugar.

Lucky for me (and for you, too), there's a fan-favorite baker who can help us get off the muffin-baking struggle bus. Famed social media baker Sarah Fennel , also known as Broma Bakery , revealed her hack for getting sky-high muffins that doesn't involve changing any part of your favorite recipe.

I've used many of her recipes for my annual Christmas cookie giveaway, so I know that I can trust her advice. When it comes to muffins, it turns out that it's all about oven temperature and pan spacing. Who would have thought?

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These two genius tips solve a major (and common) issue in baking—flat or deflated muffin tops. I'm sure we've all taken muffins out of the oven and have seen them sink before our eyes. If achieving those beloved bakery-style muffin tops is on your wish list, I'm here to tell you that it's totally possible. And you can prepare your batter as usual, so there are no special tools needed.  Here's how to make bakery-style muffins that will impress your friends and family.

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How This Muffin-Making Hack Works

Using Broma Bakery's TikTok video as inspiration, I learned that there are two easy ways to get bakery-style muffins. Step one: don't bake muffins right next to each other, and step two: bake them at 425° for the first 5 minutes, then lower the heat to 375° for the remaining cooking time. 

By filling every other muffin tin, there's room for the breakfast treats to rise without colliding with one another. The gap that's created by the empty tins also helps create better air circulation, which helps all the muffins bake up evenly. When they're squeezed tightly, they don't rise as much because they're competing for heat. If you give them some space, you'll be on your way to beautifully golden, super-domed muffins. 

Once your muffin tin is filled, it's time to bake and in this part of the process, the temperature really matters. As Fennel notes, starting with a higher oven temperature will help kickstart the rising process. If you were to bake muffins at 425° for the entire time, they'd burn, but just a few minutes in a hot oven helps with loft. Turning the temperature down to a more muffin-friendly 375° after the quick 5-minute blast of heat helps set the sky-high muffin tops and makes sure the muffins bake correctly.

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Why Pro Bakers Love This Muffin-Making Hack

Fennel isn't the only pro baker who relies on this technique. In the book,  Good to the Grain , pastry chef and food writer Kim Boycereflects on how she and her team used this method at Campanile Bakery in Los Angeles. In the book, Boyce writes, "We'd alternate the cups, filling every second cup and leaving the others empty. This meant that there was enough room for the muffins to have rounded tops and crusty edges without crowding into each other." Boyce goes on to explain that due to better air circulation, all the muffins baked evenly.

And wait, we know another baker who is a skip-a-muffin-tin aficionado. "I learned about this technique when I worked as a bread baker at Levain Bakery," says Parade Food Editor, Justine Lee .

"Every morning at the bakery, one of us bakers would douse the muffin pans with PAM spray, add fat plops of the blueberry muffin batter and we would be rewarded with super-domed muffins once they baked," she recalls. "Even now at home, this is the only way I ever make muffins. I would say this hack works the best with muffin recipes where baking powder is the predominant leavening agent."

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How to Make Bakery-Style Muffins at Home

Like I said, it's easy-peasy and so approachable for any level of home baker, speaking as a just okay one myself! Preheat your oven to 425°, the make your go-to muffin recipe. Line your muffin tin (metal or silicone work) with paper liners or grease them lightly with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

Fill every other cup empty (for instance, a 6-piece muffin tin would only have 3 spaces filled). Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven to 375° for the rest of the bake. You should have muffins with crispy edges and beautiful domed tops, just like the ones at your neighborhood bakery. 

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More Pro Tips for Baking Better Homemade Muffins 

Now that you know the key to sky-high bakery-style muffins, try these other tricks to make your baked goods even better.

Check your ingredients for freshness

This tip is especially crucial for rising agents, like baking powder and baking soda, which aren't as effective if they're old. 

Avoid over-mixing

The last thing you want is a dense, rubbery muffin, which can happen if you overmix the dough. To prevent too much gluten from forming, gently mix the ingredients just until combined. 

Let the batter rest

Some batters should sit before baking, like a Dutch baby or pancakes . This brief break, which can last a few minutes to overnight, depending on the recipe, allows the starch to absorb the moisture and help your baked goods rise.

Don't overfill

There's a difference between a domed top and spillage. Fill your pan about 2/3 way full for that perfectly rounded muffin. 

Related: The Genius Fridge Organization Trick We Wish We'd Known About Sooner

This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.