Molasses Bran Muffins Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to moist muffins? ›

Bran muffins use less flour and use bran instead, as well as using molasses and brown sugar. The mix is turned into a pocketed muffin tray, or into individual paper moulds, and baked in an oven. Milk is often added, as it contributes to the appealing browning appearance.

Wheat bran bolsters digestive health by providing a good source of insoluble fiber, which can help prevent or treat constipation. It also acts as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

Not enough leavening agent. This can happen with unsifted flour (sifting also helps incorporate air), using the wrong type of flour (especially if the recipe calls for self-raising), or using old or improperly-stored flour or baking soda/powder.

The best bakery-style crumb muffins start with cake flour

Cake flour is more finely ground and has less protein, which leaves the muffins with a fine, light crumb and soft texture. Using cake flour is an easy way to avoid heavy, dense muffins even if you end up stirring just a bit too much.

Overmixing the batter.

When you overmix the batter, it crushes the air bubbles and ruins the fluffy texture. → Follow this tip: To ensure a batch of light, fluffy muffins, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, and no more dry flour is visible.

It should be no surprise that studies show wheat bran can relieve constipation and improve digestion. The outer layer of the wheat kernel is a fiber force with a whopping 25 grams per cup. Sprinkle it over your oatmeal, eat a bowl of bran cereal, or whip up a batch of bran muffins.

There are four main categories that you want it to include in your diet while planning for a diabetic diet food list, especially for breakfast. It must contain: Fiber like whole grain bread, whale wheat, bran muffins, and oatmeal varieties. Lean protein like eggs, beans, fish, or nuts.

Too much liquid – If there is too much liquid in the batter, the muffins will be very dense. Make sure to measure liquid ingredients in the correct type of measuring cup. There's a big difference between measuring cups for dry ingredients and those for liquids.

Slowly, demand declined, and shops catering to the younger folks stopped stocking bran muffins and started ordering desserts that look like muffins instead. And now it is near impossible to find them in a grocery store.

Is it okay to eat a bran muffin every day? ›

Bran Muffins

Yes, you'll get a decent dose of fiber thanks to the bran, but larger versions can have more than 400 calories and contain around 13 grams of fat. Also, many store-bought bran muffins actually contain more white flour than fiber-rich bran, while packing unwanted sugar and sodium as well.

If you have IBS, you may find that bran is not something you tolerate well. Bran has a lot of insoluble fiber, which can make IBS symptoms worse. You should still try to get fiber in your diet, but you may find that focusing on sources of soluble fiber or using fiber supplements is a better option for you.

Overmixing is a common problem with muffins. First combine dry ingredients, mixing well. Then combine liquid ingredients, mixing well. Finally combine dry and wet ingredients, by hand, using only 15 to 20 light strokes.

Make sure you use the correct temperature. I suggest baking your muffins at 400 F. I know most muffin recipes (including the ones I have used previously) all tell us to preheat our ovens to between 325-375 F. That heat range is just not enough.

Rest the Muffin Batter

The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.

Add greek yogurt to your muffin mix for extra moistness. Top with a vanilla glaze or sugar sprinkles.

It is possible to replace oil with butter in a muffin recipe as generally most muffin recipes are quite forgiving and you may find that butter gives a better flavour.

If the muffins are dry, it is possible that they were baked for slightly too long. The oven temperature is slightly higher that you would normally use for cakes, as this helps to give the muffins nicely domed tops, a good crust and a moist interior. This means that the baking time is only 15-20 minutes.