One Bowl Honey Glazed Buttermilk Bran Muffins

 

From the moment I saw this delicious Bran Muffin recipe I wanted to bake them.  Not only did they sound and look incredibly tasty, but they also sounded like they were really nutritious as well. I adore Bran Muffins.  They are my favorite of all the muffins I bake.

I used to have my own coffee shop once upon a time and the Bran Muffin was one of the most popular items on the menu. I would have other kinds in house from time to time, but I always had Bran Muffins. They were a MUST have.  

Everyone loves a good Bran Muffin.  Healthy, low in fat, high in fiber and just plain delicious!  These tasty muffins are all that and more!

I did bake the full recipe this time as I wanted some muffins for the freezer. You can make either 12 large muffins (which I did) or you can make 18 smaller muffins.  These are loaded with fiber from the use of both wheat bran and whole wheat flours, giving them an almost nutty flavor. 

They are also not overly sweet.  Molasses adds a hint of smokiness and brown sugar adds a hint of caramel that is delicious. 

Buttermilk ensures that they are deliciously moist.  With that much fiber there is the risk always of something not rising well, but the buttermilk combined with baking powder and soda ensures that these rise beautifully with lovely domes.

An optional honey-butter glaze is included. It adds a lovely touch that I think you will enjoy! Note, these smell amazing when they are baking.  😁 Prepare to fall in love.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE BOWL BUTTERMILK BRAN MUFFINS

A few simple baking store cupboard ingredients. It looks like a long list I know. These are wonderfully high fiber muffins that I just know you are going to enjoy!

For the muffins:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) light olive oil
• 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup (88g) molasses
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (109g) unsifted wheat bran
• 1 cup (130g) whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup (83g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (76g) raisins

For the honey butter glaze:

• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 1 TBS honey

 

Wheat Bran is usually available in the baking section of the grocery store or in the organics section.  Wheat bran is the outer layer of the wheat kernel which is separated from the kernel during the milling process. It is loaded with fiber and nutrient dense.  You cannot use bran cereal in it's place in this recipe. They are not the same thing.

Molasses is a byproduct from the processing of sugar cane  or sugar beet juice into sugar.  It is dark and thick.  Here in the Maritime provinces, it holds pride of place on the kitchen table as it is very popular with every meal.  In the U.K. you can substitute it with equal amounts of golden syrup and dark treacle mixed together to give you the same amount as required in the recipe.

You can easily make your own buttermilk in one of two ways. One, add 1 TBS of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup measure and add the milk required to give you the full measure.  Whisk together and leave to clabber for 5 minutes. Two, whisk together equal amounts of full fat milk and plain yogurt to give you the full measure of buttermilk needed.  Again, leave to clabber for five minutes.

 

HOW TO MAKE ONE BOWL BUTTERMILK BRAN MUFFINS

Muffins are probably one of the easiest bakes to make.  Dry ingredients mixed. Wet ingredients mixed. The two folded together. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Butter a 12-hole regular muffin cup really well (including the top of it). Set aside.

Whisk the white and whole wheat flours, bran, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

Whisk the oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs together in a large bowl to combine well. sprinkle the dry ingredients over top and mix all together just to combine. Its okay to be lumpy but there should be no obvious dry streaks.

Fold in the raisins.

 

Spoon into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing.

Whisk the honey and butter together until smooth. Brush this over the tops of the warm muffins. Enjoy!

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR PERFECT MUFFINS EVERY TIME

Here are my hints and tips for making sure that your muffins turn out beautifully every time:

1. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. To prevent the mix from being overworked, first mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry ingredients, carefully pour in the wet ingredients, then stir the mix a couple of times to roughly combine. 

 2. Don't over mix your muffins. The most important rule of muffin making is to not over stir the mix. What you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Do not stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, and thick with a few floury streaks.

 3. Add your flavors last.  While spices should be added with all the other dry ingredients, additions like fruit and nuts should be added last. Give the batter one more light-handed stir once you've added them in just to combine.  

4. Line the pans. You can choose to either grease the muffin tin or line it with paper liners. If you choose to forgo the liners, make sure you grease the base and sides of the cups with oil spray or a little melted butter. If you're not going to eat the muffins for a while, do use paper liners as these will keep the muffins fresher for longer. 

 5. Don't overfill your pans. Aim to fill the cups ¾ full to get muffins with nice round tops and to prevent them from spilling out over the top of the cups.  Often if your tins are over filled the muffins will rise to the top and then collapse on themselves.

 6. For extra interest, add a flavorful sprinkle on top.  Once the muffin cups are all filled, you can choose to sprinkle the tops with more fruit, nuts or a crumble topping, even sanding sugar or cinnamon sugar, for even more taste and or crunch. As the muffins rise these toppings will cook into the tops of the muffin.  

7. Protect your baking pan.  If there isn't enough batter to fill all the cups, half fill the empty ones with water. This will help the muffins bake evenly and will help to protect your pan from buckling. 

8. Cooling them down. Once you remove the muffins from the oven, let them sit in their pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. This is especially important for muffins that aren't in a paper liner, as it will help them from falling apart. However, remove them after five minutes otherwise you risk them going soggy as they cool in the pan. 

9. Freeze extras for later. Muffins freeze beautifully, so if you can't enjoy them all on the day they're baked, wrap them in plastic, and put them in the freezer for later. They will keep for about 3 months and reheat wonderfully in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high from frozen. 

 

These are really fabulous muffins. Nice and light. Not loaded with tons of fat and sugar. Just right. If you don't like raisins, I am sure you could replace them with berries or even dried cranberries.

Easy to make with lovely domed tops and a beautiful flavor!  Perfect served warm, split, spread with butter along with a hot drink!

Although the glaze is entirely optional, it does make for a lovely finish!

  

Here are a few other muffins that you might also enjoy. I can promise you both recipes are delicious and very muffin-like, not little cakes.  Just right!

 

GINGERBREAD MUFFINS - I am a hug fan of gingerbread anything. I think gingerbread is probably one of my favorite things to bake and eat! They are moist and delicious with a lovely crumb and beautiful ginger/cinnamon flavor. The recipe makes a full batch of 12 fabulous muffins! 

ORANGE MUFFINS - Buttery, moist and loaded with orange from the outside in.  These are winners all round! I stud mine with dried currants, but you may like raisins, or nuts, or blueberries, etc. You may even prefer the to be plain.  One thing is for sure, you will enjoy these moist and delicious muffins. Fresh orange flavors filled with an optional fruit and sweet glaze. You can't go wrong! 

Yield: 12 large muffins

Author: Marie Rayner

One Bowl Honey-Glazed Buttermilk Bran Muffins

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Moist and delicious with beautifully domed tops. The honey butter glaze is optional.

Ingredients

For the muffins:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) light olive oil
• 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup (88g) molasses
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (109g) unsifted wheat bran
• 1 cup (130g) whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup (83g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (76g) raisins

For the honey butter glaze:

• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 1 TBS honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Butter a 12-hole regular muffin cup really well (including the top of it). Set aside.
2. Whisk the white and whole wheat flours, bran, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3. Whisk the oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs together in a large bowl to combine well. sprinkle the dry ingredients over top and mix all together just to combine. Its okay to be lumpy but there should be no obvious dry streaks.
4. Fold in the raisins.
5. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing.
8. Whisk the honey and butter together until smooth. Brush this over the tops of the warm muffins.
9. Enjoy!

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