Part of the fun of full-time traveling is you never know exactly what to expect at your next destination. Ever try to wash laundry in a washer with Serbian labels and icons you’ve never seen before? We’ve had lots of those experiences. Each time we’ve come away with another story and a new way to adjust to life on the road. The same thing happened when we tried to make muffins on the road.

Garrett love breads, pastries and baked goods of all kinds. In fact, occasionally he will go several days eating only baked goods. He loves making them. He loves eating them.

That’s why we found ourselves one afternoon in a tiny grocery store in a quaint little Montenegrin village, closely inspecting labels. Was this baking soda or baking powder? In many places you can’t find baking powder, so soda is your only option. As we discovered, that was the case in this village.

We were on a quest. A quest to make homemade muffins. Yummmmm! Warm muffins straight from the oven. For breakfast, an afternoon snack. They’re perfect anytime. The taste of muffins magically transports me back home when I’m somewhere far away.

So we created a muffin recipe that uses baking soda instead of baking powder. And carbonated water instead of eggs. It’s adapted from Land O’ Lakes’ Prize Winning Blueberry Muffins and incudes substitutions that will work if you don’t find what you need where you are. So you too can make muffins on the road.

Possible Substitutions

If you can’t find the ingredients listed in this recipe, try the following substitutions.

• You can grease the muffin pan with a thin layer of butter, shortening or cooking oil.
• No blueberries in your local market?  According to HomeStratosphere any of the following can be substituted for blueberries in baked goods: acai, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, grapes, huckleberries, passion fruit, pomegranates, raspberries, and strawberries.
• If eggs are available, you can substitute 1 egg for the ¼ cup carbonated water.
• Plain or vanilla yogurt is a good substitute for sour cream. Just be sure to get a full fat version.
• This recipe also works well with gluten-free flour.

The resulting muffins are not overly sweet, just plain yummy. They’re moist, light and delicious with just enough lemony taste to highlight the flavor of the blueberries.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins on the Road

Yield: 12 medium sized muffins

Total time: 40 minutes

Other Possible Customizations

If you like your muffins sweet, before baking mix 1 tbsp granulated sugar and ½ tsp lemon zest, and sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon on each muffin.

If you like a more of buttery taste, smear some butter on the muffin before eating.

There you have it! Now you too can make muffins on the road.