Bran Muffins

Recipe by Susan Reid
154 Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars

There's something incredibly comforting about a bran muffin. The flavor is wholesome and sturdy; just sweet enough to be a treat. For a portable breakfast, they're hard to beat. This recipe can be made up and held in the refrigerator, unbaked, for up to a week. You can scoop as many (or few) muffins as you need, so you'll always have a fresh, warm muffin when you want it. Please note that this batter needs to be made a day in advance, so the bran can soften and the batter thicken.

Prep
15 mins
Bake
25 to 27 mins
Total
12 hrs 45 mins
Yield
12 muffins
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Bran Muffins

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. In a small mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over the half cup of cereal. When cooled, mix in the vegetable oil and egg.

  2. While the water/bran mixture cools, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the raisins.

  3. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and brown sugar, and stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in remaining cereal, then the softened bran mixture. Cover the batter and refrigerate it overnight.

  4. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F for 15 minutes. Line a muffin tin with papers, and spray the insides of the papers. Or just grease the muffin cups themselves, if you like a crustier muffin edge.

  5. Stir the batter once or twice, then scoop a heaping 1/4-cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.

  6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

  7. Remove from the oven, cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Bran cereals can vary significantly. Some bran cereals list corn bran as the first ingredient. The recipe will still work with these cereals, but the flavor and texture will be better (and certainly more familiar) with a wheat bran cereal, such as Kellogg's All Bran.
  • This batter will keep for up to a week, covered in the refrigerator. You can scoop and bake as much as you need when you need it.
  • If you only want to bake one or two muffins, you can use greased custard cups instead of the muffin tin. If you use the muffin tin, put an inch of water in the empty wells to keep the pan from warping.
  • Try adding a tablespoon of orange zest or 1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger for a tasty change of pace.

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