Ingredients
- 2 cups (100g) wheat bran
- 1 cup (120g) raisins, no seeds
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (or another oil, like sunflower, canola, light olive oil)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 egg white, room temperature
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup fine whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325ºF / 170ºC
- Have ready 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
- 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.
- Process the raisins, as smooth or a bit chunky, whatever you like. You can skip this step.
- 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.
- In a large bowl mix buttermilk with the 1/2 cup remaining water, the toasted bran, raisins, orange zest and sugar. Mix well.
- Add coconut oil, egg, egg white and mix everything.
- 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.
- Divide between muffin cups and bake for about 25 minutes, until a tester comes out dry. They don’t raise much.
- Let cook on a wire rack.
Notes
Baking time:Â consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.Â
Wheat bran: not to be mistaken with oat bran. Wheat bran comes in flakes with different levels of coarseness, so choose a medium one. It gives the muffins the texture, which I find to be essential.
Oil: I use coconut oil, which is not in the original recipe. It makes them so moist and light at the same time. I will never go back to regular vegetable oil for these bran muffins. Alternatively, I use light olive oil. Yes, olive oil. It is fantastic, but I use it a lot in baking, so I'm used to it.Â
Flours: besides all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour is used in this recipe. For a better result, you have to use superfine, which is similar in texture to white flour. We already have the bran for texture. You can also use only white flour (all-purpose flour); the total amount will be 3/4 cup.Â
Storing: they keep well for 2 days at room temperature, always covered in plastic wrap, a bag, or an airtight container. After that, I like to refrigerate or freeze them, always well wrapped to prevent drying out.Â
Homemade buttermilk:Â mix 1 cup of milk (preferably whole milk) with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes at room temperature until it thickens and slightly curdles. Stir it once more, and measure it again before using.Â
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12
- Calories: 204
- Sugar: 13.6 g
- Sodium: 228.3 mg
- Fat: 10.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.6 g
- Fiber: 5.1 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 16.6 mg