Bran Muffins

First teaching assignment

First apartment

First kitchen

First baking day

I made Bran Muffins…

…and, since I did not have a recipe, I used the recipe that was printed on the green  box of Quaker wheat bran that I picked up at the supermarket …  and I have not looked back.

For over forty years, this recipe (with a few minor embellishments), has been my only bran muffin recipe.

Moist, with a deep, rich molasses flavour, these muffins continue to be our family’s favourite.

As mentioned, there have been a few embellishments over the years:

• Adding more raisins and soaking them in hot water that has been flavoured with a little bit of vanilla. This prevents the raisins from soaking up any moisture from the muffins.
• Addition of vanilla … never a mistake.
• Always use buttermilk – not sure of the chemistry here, but buttermilk makes so many things taste better.
• Crosby’s blackstrap, or cooking molasses, rather than ‘fancy molasses’ ensures deep, delicious flavour.
• A touch of honey … and a touch of apple cider vinegar to bring everything into balance.

 

Bran Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes                           Baking Time: 15-20 minutes
Yield: 9-10 standard-size muffins

Ingredients:

¾ cup (185 mL) raisins, soaked in vanilla-flavoured hot water

1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk
1 ½ cups (375 mL) wheat bran

¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable or grapeseed oil
105 g (½ cup hard-packed) dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, unbeaten
¼ cup (60 mL) Crosby’s blackstrap (cooking) molasses
1 tablespoon (15 mL) honey
2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon (4 mL) apple cider vinegar

150 g (1 cup) flour (75 g each of all-purpose and whole wheat flour works well)
1 ½ teaspoons (7 mL) baking powder
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) baking soda
¾ teaspoon (3.5 mL) salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C). Prepare a muffin pan with paper liners, or spray with a vegetable oil spray.
2. In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water and add ½ teaspoon of vanilla.
3. In another small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and wheat bran. Set aside as you prepare the other ingredients.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, eggs, molasses, honey, vanilla, and vinegar.
5. In another small bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder/soda, and salt.
6. Stir the milk/wheat bran mixture into the oil/sugar mixture.
7. Gently and minimally combine the flour mixture with the liquid ingredients.
8. Drain the raisins, and stir into the muffin batter.
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes (depending on the size of the muffin cups).

Questions and comments are always welcome     alex@chilipeppersandpears.com