Bran Muffins with Golden Raisins and “Bird Seed”

These muffins are a not-too-sweet muffin that makes a great side dish with a hearty breakfast of eggs and sausage or bacon. See my note below if you want a sweeter muffin.

Bran Muffins with Golden Raisins and “Bird Seed”

2 ½ cups (200 grams) wheat bran
1 1/4 cups (300 grams) milk (whole milk is recommended)
1 ¾ cups (420 grams) crème fraiche
2 eggs
1 cup (160 grams) golden raisins
½ cup (110 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsulfured light or dark molasses
2-1/3 cups (330 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup (50 grams) millet
¼ cup (40 grams) flaxseeds
¼ cup (30 grams) sunflower seeds

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with Baker’s Joy.

In a medium bowl, stir together the wheat bran, milk, crème fraiche, and eggs until well-mixed. Put the raisins in a small bowl, cover them with hot water, and set aside. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow the bran to soak up some of the liquid and soften and the raisins to plump.

After 30 minutes, add the brown sugar and molasses tot eh bran mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Drain the raisins, add them to the bran mixture, and stir until well-mixed. The mixture will be thick and gloppy.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well-mixed. Scrape the bran mixture into the dry ingredients and fold carefully just until the dry and wet ingredients are well-combined. You will end up with a very thick, somewhat stiff batter that verges on being a dough.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly and filling the cups to the rim (almost overflowing). In a small bowl, mix together the millet, flaxseeds, and sunflower seeds. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown on top and spring back when pressed in the middle with a fingertip. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove the muffins from the tin.

*Valerie’s Notes: These muffins are very “healthy”-tasting as printed above. We liked them—especially when served as a side dish along with eggs and sausage or bacon. I had leftover batter after filling my 12 muffin tins, so the next day I added a dash of buttermilk to loosen the dough to more of a batter and a handful of cinnamon chips. I had enough batter to make 6 more muffins. These muffins were more tender and sweeter. We liked both versions.

Recipe Source: Flour by Joanne Chang