Bran Muffins
Moist bran muffins made with wheat bran, whole wheat flour, a little banana and cinnamon for flavor. Buttermilk and an oil-based batter gives these a wonderfully fluffy texture.
It had been a long, long time since I had a bran muffin when I came across some wheat bran on sale at the grocery store. I bought a few packs thinking it might be nice to bake something with it – though I couldn’t think of anything but a muffin so here we are (I am currently testing a bran scone though – will update this space if anything comes of it, I did buy quite a few packs ;p)
Recipe Origins
I looked at a few recipes, including allrecipe’s “classic bran muffins” recipe to get an idea of how much wheat bran I could add to a muffin recipe and just kept tinkering from there: I knew I wanted a warm cinnamon flavor, and a really soft interior. But I also wanted some excellent muffin tops: tall, domed, and with edges that were chewy and caramelized.
For awhile I was getting great muffins but they were a tad dry so I thought to either add banana or molasses. Because one is common year round I went with that. The result is a muffin I’d eat on any day: these are low on sugar (for a muffin ;-), heavy on the bran and whole wheat flour and make the best domed muffin tops. I would have added nuts too but my kids barred me from it.
P.S. these taste great the next day too!
Recipe Ingredients
Sugar: brown sugar adds moisture and a bit of molasses to the muffins, giving them better flavor and texture. You can use light or dark but not turbinado which is raw sugar and does not have the same moistening effect.
Eggs: whole, ideally at room temperature so they whip easier.
Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount.
Cinnamon: ground. If you prefer other spices, use those as well or instead (cardamom, nutmeg, etc).
Oil: I use avocado oil as it has a neutral flavor. You can opt for another vegetable based oil.
Banana: this adds moisture and a bit of sweetness to the muffins. You’ll only need one, make sure it’s brown on the outside so it’s easy to mash.
Whole wheat flour: I like to use stone ground whole wheat (it has more of the wheat germ bits) but you can use any whole wheat flour. All purpose will work too.
Wheat bran: this is the outer layer of the wheat kernel (this is what is sifted out when making white flour).
Leavening: we’re using both baking soda and baking powder to help the muffins rise.
Buttermilk: whole or low fat. You can also sub with kefir or yogurt (thinned with water to pourable consistency).
How to make Bran Muffins
Note: Prep the batter ahead of time; this batter needs to rest/chill for a couple of hours.
Set the sugar, cinnamon, salt and eggs in a bowl and beat: use a hand mixer, a stand mixer or a whisk to beat until it’s several shades lighter. If using the whisk (by hand) this will take longer.
With the beaters on, slowly pour in the oil. Keep beating once it’s all in, until it’s very well mixed.
Mash the banana, add it and beat to combine
Add the flour, leavening, and wheat bran
As you’re beating the dry ingredients in, slowly pour in the buttermilk.
Beat to just combine
Cover the bowl to seal then chill it in the fridge for a few hours (at least an hour but preferably 2-3)
When ready to bake, line two cupcake tins with liners (skip each cup so the muffins rise higher – this is because of better heat circulation)
Fill each cup to the brim, or even a bit over (for a really good dome)
We’ll bake them on a high temperature for the first 7-8 minutes to get a good rise, then lower to fully bake the muffins without drying them out.
As soon as they’re ready to handle, take them out of the tin so they can cool.
FAQ
Can I leave the batter to chill longer than what’s listed in the recipe?
I think it would be fine to leave it in the fridge for 6-8 hours, as long as its kept sealed so it doesn’t dry out.
How long do bran muffins keep?
A few days, but store them in an airtight container. If you want them for longer I’d freeze them (freezer safe container).
Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 150g or ¾ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 100g or ½ cup avocado oil
- 1 medium sized banana mashed
- 130g or 1 cup whole wheat flour I use stone ground
- 100g or 1 ¼ cups wheat bran
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 240g or 1 cup buttermilk whole or low fat
Method
- Plan ahead: these muffins need a brief rest in the fridge (1-2 hours).
- In a large bowl, set the brown sugar and crack the eggs over it. Immediately begin beating with a hand mixer (you can also do this with a whisk, though it takes more work and a longer time) adding the cinnamon and salt as you do. Beat until the mix is a few shades lighter and is fluffy.
- With the mixer on, add the avocado oil in a slow stream as you mix then beat until smooth.
- Mashed the banana and add it to the bowl, then beat it briefly.
- Add the whole wheat flour, wheat bran, baking powder and baking soda. Begin beating and once it’s a little combined, add the buttermilk slowly - beating as it goes in. Stop when the mix is smooth and well combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line two muffin tins with cupcake/muffin liners skipping every other cup so that no two muffins will touch when they bake (this helps them dome and rise higher).
- Scoop the batter into the liners, I like to overfill them so they make taller muffins with big domes (about ¼ cup per muffin) but you can fill them to the rim if you are looking to make more.
- Bake the muffins for 7 minutes then lower the temperature to 350 F and continue baking until a cake tester comes out clean or the top springs back when pressed, about 16-20 minutes.
- Take muffins out of the pan as soon as you can handle them and let them cool. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
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I made these and left the batter for about 4 hours in the fridge before baking (just ran out of time to cook them sooner) and they cam out so good! I will definitely be making these again.