These Dark Bran Muffins are similar to the ones from The Joy of Cooking, but I added a little vanilla and cinnamon.
This batch was as delicious as the last bran muffins I made, but with less fat.
Half an Egg
The recipe below gives you a full batch but it halves easily. For half an egg, crack one egg into a bowl, mix it with a fork and measure out about 2 tablespoons. The batter is also flexible in that you can cover the bowl, chill overnight, then bake the muffins the next morning.
Tips for Making Bran Muffins
Use wheat bran, not bran cereal. This recipe calls for wheat bran, which is sold as a loose ingredient—usually in the baking or cereal aisle. It’s not the same as bran flakes or All-Bran cereal, so make sure you’ve got the right kind.
Don't overmix the batter. Bran muffins can turn out tough if the batter is overworked. Stir just until the flour disappears and everything is moistened.
Let the batter rest (optional). Letting the batter sit for 15–30 minutes before baking gives the bran time to hydrate, which can lead to a more tender, moist crumb.
Molasses matters. Use mild or light molasses for a balanced flavor. Blackstrap molasses will make the muffins more bitter and dense.
Buttermilk makes a difference. Buttermilk helps activate the baking soda and gives the muffins a tender texture. If you don’t have any on hand, you can make a substitute by combining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar with enough milk to make 1 cup.
Customize with mix-ins. Raisins, chopped dates, walnuts, or even shredded carrot or apple are classic add-ins for bran muffins if you want to boost flavor and texture.
Recipe
Dark Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour or 2 cups whole wheat pastry (250 grams)
- 1 ½ cup wheat bran
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons melted butter or use oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup mild molasses
- 2 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.
- Combine flour, bran, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir well.
- Whisk melted butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, molasses and buttermilk together in a large mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups – it should come almost to the top.
- Bake 15-18 minutes or until muffins appear done
Susan McCormick says
Anna,
Just wanted to thank you again for creating such a wonderful book. I made the Outrageous Bourbon Brownies last week, and they were totally addictive. I made the cherry cheesecakes (18 of them) yesterday, there are two left today, and 3 people live here. You do the math. Love your book!
Susan McCormick
Katrina says
The muffins are good, although I could have sworn I had wheat bran and I can't find it anywhere. So I used some All Bran I had bought a few months ago, for the same purpose, making bran muffins and hadn't done it yet. I used 1/4 cup Egg Beater, whole wheat pastry flour and made my own buttermilk with skim milk and vinegar. Mine look a little different from yours (yours look better and more moist) but they taste great to me! I also added 1 cup raisins. Thanks for the recipe to go by.
I've also just finished making Mrs. Baron's chocolate cookies. Um, yum! These are great and I don't really care for a chocolatey, chocolate cookie. They ARE rich, especially mine, the only cocoa I had left was Hershey's Special Dark. With half the dough, I added peanut butter chips and darn it all these are good. I'm not eating any though. Just a taste and that's it! Back to low fat......we'll see if I can try the tahini ones today. Let you know.
Anna says
Thanks Katrina,
Joy of Cooking used granulated, I used brown. I think the brown makes the muffins moister, but the granulated gives them less of a molasses flavor. So either is okay.
Katrina says
Hey, your recipe says granulated sugar in one place and brown sugar in another. I'm going with brown.
VeggieGirl says
Those muffins will be great for Fuzz to take to day camp - great snack!
I'm with Claire and J - blueberries would be a FABULOUS addition to the muffins! :0)
J says
I am so with Claire.... and I have blueberries in the fridge!
Oh, yum!
Claire says
Oooo...these look so good! I love bran muffins. I wonder if adding blueberries to them would be weird.
Katrina says
I am a sucker for bran muffins. You wouldn't know it, you'd think I was a sucker for all things chocolate, well, okay, that too, but love bran muffins! Hmmm.