Raisin Bran Muffins

Bran muffins. With raisins. So last century, right? Wrong! These are fabulous, nutritious, loaded with fiber, easy to make, delicious and super moist.

For most of you it’s back to school, end of summer, let’s get organized time of year when lazy days are no longer an option. Where they ever really?

Anyway, let’s talk about raisin bran muffins.

This is a wonderful recipe for grabbing breakfast on the go, or for those like me who don’t eat in the morning. I keep them frozen and reheat them briefly, and boom, I’m eating something for breakfast!

Back when bran muffins were the thing to eat for a healthy breakfast – hello 90’s – this recipe appeared as one of the best.

Being a supreme fan of Nancy Silverton – bread baker and pastry chef extraordinaire – I wonder what took me so long to finally try them. I bought her books 20 years ago, but somehow I got sidetracked with other, more modern, recipes as we food bloggers usually do. Avocado hummus anyone?

Ingredients for the best raisin bran muffins.

• Wheat bran: not to be mistaken with oat bran. Wheat bran comes in different levels of coarseness, and I the very or medium one (image above, top bowl). It gives the muffins the texture which I find to be essential.
• Raisins: I use dark or light raisins, and sometimes add cranberries if I have some lying around.
• Flours: besides all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour is used in this recipe. I am partial to superfine which is similar in texture to white flour. We already have the bran to give texture.

Main steps for making these bran muffins:

• Toast the bran and let cool before using. Careful it burns in a minute if you’re not watching! This step adds a lot of flavor to the muffin, but I have made them many times without toasting the bran because I didn’t have time. They are amazing too.
• Boil the raisins with the water until almost evaporated. You can process it to a paste, or not. I don’t because I like to have the piece of raisin when I bite.
• Mix the bran with the buttermilk first (image above). It will moisten it a bit and it will be good for the end result.
• Add raisins with the leftover liquid, zest and rest of ingredients except dry ones.

• Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Don’t beat (image above).
• Scoop tablespoons (2 in my case for each muffin cup) onto muffin liners or directly in a sprayed or buttered muffin pan (image below).
• Bake until dry and tester comes out clean. Don’t overbake or they’ll start to dry. They don’t rise much or have domed tops.

Since I think bran muffins are a this or that side of the fence kind of recipe, I will keep this short and to the point.

The flavor of toasted bran makes them different. A lot of raisins makes them moist. And, as with many Nancy Silverton recipes, they have an extra something that makes them different.

Her parmesan chive scones or chocolate mint cookies are almost perfect recipes. Which for me is what makes her such a great mentor, if virtual.

This is a recipe that will make you feel healthy. So much bran and raisins in every bite will do that for you. It does for me at least. And I love a nutritious breakfast.

Always a plus when it’s so hard not to be bombarded with so many healthy and unhealthy choices. Good old-fashioned bran muffins are always on the safe side.

I use coconut oil, which is not in the original recipe. It really makes them so moist and light at the same time. I will never go back to regular oil for this bran muffins. Alternatively, I use olive oil. Yes, olive oil. It is fantastic.

And this is an exceptional raisin bran muffin recipe. Take note.

Other recipes you might like:
Healthier Banana Muffins
Strawberry Buttermilk Scones
Banana Chocolate Quinoa Muffins (Gluten-free)
Healthier Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Zucchini Raisin Bundt Cake
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it.
Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

Raisin Bran Muffins

★★★★★ 4.9 from 18 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 25
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Raisin Bran Muffins that are fabulous, nutritious, fiber-loaded, easy to make, delicious and super moist! They freeze beautifully and are the perfect on-the-go breakfast.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 cups (100g) wheat bran
• 1 cup (120g) raisins, no seeds
• 1 1/2 cups (375ml) water
• 1/2 cup (125ml) buttermilk
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup (100gr) brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (125ml) coconut oil (or another oil, even olive)
• 1 egg, room tº
• 1 egg white, room tº
• 1/2 cup (70g) all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (40g) fine whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 325ºF / 170ºC
2. Have ready 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. In a small saucepan bring to a boil the raisins and 1 cup of the water. Let it boil very slowly for about 15 minutes, until there is almost no water left.
4. Process the raisins, as smooth or a bit chunky, whatever you like. You can skip this step.
5. Toast the wheat bran for about 5 minutes in the oven, careful not to burn. Move it around so it toasts evenly. Careful it burns quickly if you don’t watch it, much like coconut.
6. In a large bowl mix buttermilk with the 1/2 cup remaining water, the toasted bran, raisins, orange zest and sugar. Mix well.
7. Add coconut oil, egg, egg white and mix everything.
8. Add both flours, baking powder, soda and salt (I sift them directly over the oil mixture) and mix quickly and only until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
9. Divide between muffin cups and bake for about 25 minutes, until a tester comes out dry. They don’t raise much.
10. Let cook on a wire rack.

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Notes

• Wheat bran: not to be mistaken with oat bran. Wheat bran comes in different levels of coarseness, and I the very or medium one (image above, top bowl). It gives the muffins the texture which I find to be essential.
• Raisins: I use dark or light raisins, and sometimes add cranberries if I have some lying around.
• Flours: besides all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour is used in this recipe. I am partial to superfine which is similar in texture to white flour. We already have the bran to give texture.

Keywords: bran muffins, raisin bran muffins

Paula Montenegro

A baker for more than 30 years, I love testing recipes and sharing the best of what I find. I'm mostly self-taught with some time spent in baking school. I believe we can all be bakers and cooks with the right instructions and simple ingredients. If you're craving easy recipes with amazing results, you're in the right place. Let's get into the kitchen!