buttermilk bran muffins and too many boxes

Early Sunday morning in the kitchen, I made the coffee, pulled out my muffin tins and buttered them, set up the mixer, pulled out the ingredients - and looked for the recipe for my favorite buttermilk bran muffins.  My recipe notebook was missing in the mess of boxes and piles as I prepare to move in a few weeks.  I checked my blog, and was surprised to see I hadn't updated the recipe in a long time.  Two hours later, my notebook showed up under a box of papers to be filed (if it were up to me, I would file everything in the recycled paper box for the dump).  BIG sigh of relief.

I know even saying the words "bran muffins" sounds dismal, doesn't it?  Most bran muffins have an odd metallic taste to me, which is why I treasure this recipe.  Soft, filling, bouncy, with plumped, juicy raisins folded into the batter , it's still my favorite muffin.  Not too sweet, not too heavy, and a delicious flavor, and pretty much fail proof.   They freeze well, too.


Buttermilk Bran Muffins with plumped raisins

3 cups wheat bran ( I get mine from the health food store) divided
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup light oil
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups King Arthur flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs - I always use extra large eggs

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, add 1 cup of the bran, the raisins, and the boiling water.  Stir and set aside.

Grease your muffin tins well, or line tins with muffin papers and set aside.

In mixer bowl, add the rest of the bran, the light oil, cinnamon, baking soda, flour, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk and mix briefly.  Add the wet mix of bran, hot water, and plumped raisins and mix again.

Using a regular ice cream scoop, scoop batter into tins - I use two scoops for my Texas size muffins, one scoop for normal sized muffins.  Here you can see the difference between the sizes: 

Bake 20 minutes for normal size, and five or ten minutes more for the big muffins.  The muffin tops should spring back when you press them gently on their tops.

Let cool on cooling rack, then remove from tins with a dull knife to cool further.

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Hope you enjoy this beautiful Spring day!  The last few mornings out the kitchen window, the dark lilacs are fluttering with beautiful butterflies.