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tender yet textured bran muffins for breakfast

Bran Muffins.

  • Author: Bet Denton
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients

  • 2.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose, see note 1)
  • 2 cups unprocessed wheat bran
  • 2 cups bran cereal (such as All Bran, Bran Buds, or Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2.5 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup raisins (optional)
  • 2 cups buttermilk (for substitutions, see note 2) + 2 Tablespoons orange juice (optional, see note 3)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 and add paper liners to 2 12-cup muffin tins (or grease/spray/whatever).
  2. Mix flour, wheat bran, bran cereal, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the raisins and stir so they are lightly coated with the flour mixture.
  3. In a large glass measuring up (the one I use is 4 cups), measure the buttermilk, then add 1/2 cup oil so it reaches 2.5 cups. Add eggs and whisk liquid ingredients to combine.
  4. Add liquid ingredients to flour mixture and stir gently with a spatula or large spoon until fully combined (it’s okay to have a couple of slightly floury streaks left to avoid overmixing).
  5. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. The cups will be fairly full! Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. For best results, remove the muffins from the tins after a few minutes and let them cool on a wire rack.

Notes

Note 1: I recently started keeping whole wheat pastry flour around and it’s a great whole grain substitute in this recipe, which originally called for all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried my “regular” white whole wheat flour in this recipe, since I was afraid it would make them too dense with all the other wheaty ingredients.

Note 2: For an easy buttermilk substitute, you can use 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice – or orange juice! – plus milk to make 2 cups. I have also used 1.5 cups of plain yogurt plus milk to make 2 cups.

Note 3: The orange juice is totally optional. You can use it to replace some of the buttermilk (or to make an even-less-authentic buttermilk sub, as I mentioned in the post and above). I’ve also forgotten to use it and added it as extra liquid and it doesn’t hurt the recipe at all. Basically, there’s no right or wrong way to add it if you’d like to! According to the experts at King Arthur Flour, OJ makes whole wheat taste less bitter.

Note 4: You could certainly halve the recipe to make 12 muffins, but I LOVE popping the extras into a freezer bag and then thawing them overnight or in the microwave for a super easy breakfast or snack.

I adapted this recipe from my mom, who got it from her friend Mary – who may be reading this post! :o)