Bran Muffin Recipe

T his bran muffin recipe is a winner in my book for lots of reasons.

First, it makes bran muffins that are moist, chewy, and not too heavy.

Second, this recipe for bran muffins is not too sweet. I like muffins with just a hint of sweetness, not cupcakes masquerading as muffins.

Third, these bran muffins call for the ingredients I commonly have on hand.

Many recipes, such as  Nancy Silverton’s Bran Muffins from David Lebovitz, sound delicious but call for unprocessed bran, something that I don’t stock in my pantry.  (However, I always seem to have a box of Kellogg’s All Bran on the cereal shelf.)

And the best part about these bran muffins is that the batter can be mixed up and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, which means that warm fresh from the oven muffins are never more than 30 minutes away!

Have I mentioned how much I love easy do ahead recipes?

This is a healthy bran muffin recipe too. It comes from the book King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains, one of my most recent cookbook acquisitions, and is most definitely a keeper.  These moist bran muffins were enthusiastically gobbled up when I served them for breakfast Sunday morning.

Moist Bran Muffin Recipe
I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, and plain whole milk yogurt for the buttermilk with good results.  You’ll want to mix this batter ahead.  It needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight before baking.

3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/4 cups bran cereal (not flakes), divided
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups (10 ounces) whole wheat flour (traditional or white whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup orange juice

In a small mixing bowl combine boiling water and 3/4 cup bran cereal.  Add the raisins, brown sugar, and oil.  Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large measuring cup, stir together the egg, buttermilk, and orange juice until well blended. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients.  Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup bran cereal, and then the bran-raisin mixture.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to bake your muffins, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with papers that you coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full.  Bake the muffins until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 23 to 26 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to cool or serve warm.  Be sure the muffins are completely cool before wrapping them for storage or they will get soggy.

Makes one dozen moist whole wheat bran muffins

Source:King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains

More Bran Muffin Recipes from Around the Web

• Basic Bran Muffins from the folks at King Arthur Flour that uses unbleached flour instead of whole wheat
• Blueberry Bran Muffins from Stephanie at Joy of Baking
• Classic Bran Muffin Recipe using unprocessed wheat bran instead of All Bran cereal from All recipes
• Gluten Free Bran Muffins with almond flour and flax from Elana’s Pantry
• Honey Bran Muffins with Figs from Epicurious
• Kellog’s All Bran Muffin Recipe The classic back of the box healthy bran muffin recipe that I began baking routinely in college
• Pumpkin Bran Muffin Recipe at Suite 101 courtesy of a King Arthur Flour test kitchen baker

More of My Favorite Yummy Muffin Recipes

• Apple Pecan Muffin Recipe from Ellie Krieger’s The Food You Crave
• Banana Mocha Macadamia Nut Muffins
• Basic Muffin Recipe with several delicious variations adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food
• Pumpkin Muffins from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan