Today was 75º and sunny. I went for a run, read on my roof, and had my windows open all afternoon. What an ideal day. But, no. A tornado decided to pay a visit to Ann Arbor. It has been hailing for a good hour, there are flash floods all over town, and there is an official Tornado Advisory Warning on Washtenaw County right now.
Department of Public Safety sent around an email to the student body telling everyone to stay indoors. And a number of houses the next town over got destroyed by a funnel cloud. Funny to think that 5 hours ago I was basking in the sun in my bathing suit (Heck yeah, 75º is tanning weather. Don’t judge).
So naturally, I stayed inside and baked. I’m now holed up in my kitchen with flour all over my arms, still sporting bathing suit bottoms and a big tee. And I’ve got these lovely little Not Your Grandma’s Bran Muffins in the oven. I guess it’s still a perfect day. They are so moist and soft and surprisingly not dense and sweetened by raisins! I will for sure be making these again soon.
(Update: I brought these into work and my boss liked them so much he’s begging to pay me so I can make him more. Yeah. They’re THAT GOOD.)
How to make bran muffins
Bran muffins are super easy to make, but there are a few extra steps in this recipe that you don’t find in most muffin recipes. Before adding the wheat bran to the muffin batter, you first have to toast it for a few minutes in the oven. While the wheat bran is toasting, heat some raisins in a pot of water and simmer until the raisins have soaked all the water up. Transfer the raisins to a high-powered blender or food processor, and mix until smooth.
Once all that’s done, you can make the muffin batter. Simply combine the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, and then mix the two together. Bran muffin batter is on the thicker side, and it requires more time in the oven than regular muffins. And because the batter is already brown in color, it’s tricky to tell when the muffins have finished baking. I usually just poke the center of the muffins after they’ve been in the oven for 20 or so minutes. If the center is firm, they’re ready to be pulled out!
Not your grandma’s bran muffins
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cup wheat bran
- 1 cup, plus 1/2 cup dark raisins
- 1 cup, plus 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or plain low- or non-fat yogurt
- a few swipes of fresh orange zest
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Spread the wheat bran on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for six to eight minutes, stirring a few times so it cooks evenly. Let cool.
- While the bran is toasting, heat 1 cup of the raisins with 1/2 cup of the water. Simmer for ten minutes, or until the water is all absorbed. Puree the raisins in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix together the toasted bran, buttermilk or yogurt, 1 cup water, then mix in the raisin puree, orange zest, and brown sugar. Stir in the oil, and eggs.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and sift directly into the wet ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, then mix in the remaining 1/2 cup raisins.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, making sure the batter is mounded slightly in each one. Because muffin tins can very in size, if your tins are larger, make fewer muffins.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the muffins feel set in the center.
More homemade muffin recipes from Broma Bakery:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Magical Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Walnuts
58 comments
Emily
Hi,
I came across your page recently and I’m trying to find an email address to contact you on to ask if you would please consider adding a link to my website. I’d really appreciate if you could email me back.
Thanks and have a great day!
Denise
These muffins look delicious and filling too! Sorry to hear about the tornado, but it was a good excuse to do some baking;)
Ambika
Loved this recipe. Beautiful pics!
rebe
NOM!! send me some. express mail so they don’t dry out 😉
farmfreshfoodie
I have been looking for the perfect healthy muffin recipe for ages… I can’t wait to try these! They look perfect for freezing and grabbing when I need a healthy breakfast on the go. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Nish
I must try this asap – they looks soo good! and healthy as well!! 🙂
Texanerin
I’ve never had a bran muffin. I’m a bit dubious of them but I have no idea why. I normally make all my baked goods healthy so it’s kind of strange on my part.
I love your muffin liners and these look awesome. I hope to gather the courage to try them one day. 🙂
Anonymous
I can’t find wheat bran in the grocery store only wheat germ help where is it located normally? I tried cereal isle, baking isle. no luck
Sarah Fennel
I ended up taking Fiber One cereal and blending it in a food processer until it was the consistency of sand. Here’s a link to the product I used! http://www.fiberone.com/products/cereal/original
Joycee
Possibly the BEST Bran Muffin I’ve ever made! Love your recipes, sharing and sharing on Pinterest…
Kel
Oh these smell heavenly! Baking right now and I cannot wait to taste!
Anonymous
Is this Nancy Silverton’s recipe?:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/07/nancy-silvertons-bran-muffins/
Sarah Fennel
Yes it is! See the note on the bottom of the post?
Meagan
I am baking these as we speak and they smell great! One thing, I noticed in the directions that it asks for flourS, but there is only one kind of flour listed in the ingredients. Did you miss one or is there a typo?
Sarah Fennel
ooph!! typo. thanks for catching that mistake!
Unknown
I have a bunch of oat bran right now. Is it possible to sub that for wheat bran??
Sarah Fennel
yes, absolutely!
Jay SarSwart
Do you toast the oat bran?
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Hi Jay! Yes, as it says in step 2, you toast the bran. This gives it a deeper toasted flavor and expels moisture, making it better to bake with!
Diana
What I can I sub for raisins?
Anonymous
These look so amazing, but I’m confused about mounding the batter? What do you mean by that?
broma bakery
Make sure your batter isn’t flat in the muffin tin, but rather somewhat rounded on top! This will help with the characteristic muffin-top shape
Tiffanie Peters
I made these today amazing!!!! I used oat bran and wheat bran and added 1 tsp vanilla delicious! !!!
Inga
This muffin is delicious! Thank you! Diana, I used dried prunes instead of raisins because I was trying to get rid of them, and the muffins taste good. I also substituted olive oil instead of vegetable oil just to make them a little healthier, and that worked nicely too. I might try coconut oil next time. Great muffins!
Charlotte
This is my families GO TO breakfast. I always make a double batch so our counter and freezer stays stocked with these tasty, filling and healthy treats. And I recommend them to all my friends.
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Awww, it makes me so happy to hear it!! So glad you family loves them. It’s one of my favorite recipes by far! Thanks so much for sharing, Charlotte!!
Tamara
Just made these with Oat bran and plain yogurt. Sooo yummy! I also zested a full orange, because I knew I’d like that. This is the perfect muffin for a very pregnant nesting mom like me. Maybe a few will last until after baby is born 🙂
Sarah | Broma Bakery
SO glad you enjoyed, Tamara! Good luck in the coming weeks, glad my muffins can help get you through!!
Beth
Just finished eating about 8 mini muffins…eeek! They’re really tasty. I substituted vanilla Greek yogurt for the buttermilk and applesauce for oil. Turned out wonderful. Now hopefully I don’t have a stomach ache from all the bran I just consumed 🙂
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Hi Beth! Thanks so much for the happy comment. Aren’t they just the best? This recipe remains one of my favorites throughout the years. Thank you for commenting, and happy baking!
Monica
i just made a batch and they are absolutely delicious!! I couldn’t wait for them to cool!!
LD
where did you buy your muffin cups? what brand are they?
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Hi Lacey! I think I bought them at Michael’s! Not sure the brand. I’m sure you could find a similar type on Amazon 🙂
Bakey
Love your site! Just made these muffins and my batter is pretty loose and the muffins didn’t puff up beautifully as yours did. Any thoughts? Still delicious…just not as appealing to the eyes 🙁
Thanks so much!
★★★★
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Hi! I’m sorry to hear your muffins didn’t puff up. I’ve made these a number of times throughout the years and if anything, the batter is pretty thick, so I’m puzzled what could’ve happened. Did you measure the correct amount of wheat bran?
Rebecca
Made these last night and they turned out well! I used oat bran instead of wheat (Kroger didn’t seem to have it) and applesauce instead of the oil just because I had some on hand needing used up. I think adding some shredded coconut would make it even better!
My batter was quite thick but didn’t really rise (no surprise, due to the little flour), though mounding it as instructed gave it muffin-like shape.
★★★★
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Thanks so much for commenting Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed them. Shredded coconut would be KILLER! I’ve got to try that.
Expecially without the oil the already thick batter would be even thicker, but glad you mounded it as the directions said. Thanks for commenting and happy baking!
Kati
Hi, i made these muffins tonight and they were very nice but they did not rise or puff up in the oven like yours in the picture although i followed the instructions to the letter. Thank u for the recipe!
★★★★
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Hi Kati! They shouldn’t puff up much, which is why the directions say to mound them slightly. Sometimes this can vary based on the bran put in, as well. Hope they tasted to your liking and happy baking!
Lauren
I’ve been dying to make these, but I’m trying not to add sugar to anything. Have you ever tried making with any alternatives to the brown sugar? If so, any suggestions?
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Hi Lauren! I have not tried. Maybe apple sauce? But I think it would be a very different muffin! If you try let me know what you think 🙂
Mia
Made these yesterday. They are crazy good and so moist. My hubby, 3 & 5 year old loved them. These will be on our regular rotation.
★★★★★
Rachel
Insane!! Just made them for camping. Soooo yummy.
Jane
Will be making these tonight for lunches
Steph
These looked so delicious but i must have done something wrong because they were the worst…they do taste like a grandma would like them though! I was really excited about them and was sorely disappointed. Sorry for the bad review but don’t waste your money on the wheat bran! That’s all I bought it for. Yuck! I usually love bran muffins too. Would have given it no stars if I could
★
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Hi Steph, I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve made this recipe maybe a dozen times and it’s never been as bad as you’re saying it was. Honestly, I’m wondering if you bought a weird bran or forgot to put in the raisins or something because this recipe is BOMB. Also, in the future you can make your own wheat bran by buying bran flakes and pulverizing them in a food processor. I would most definitely give the recipe another try and see if something went wrong the first time.
Kathleen
I’ve never posted a review for any receipe, but this is the absolutely Best bran muffins I’ve ever made. Thank you!
★★★★★
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Omg well I couldn’t be more flattered! It’s all Nancy Silverton– it’s her original recipe 🙂 I’m just obsessed!
Christine
These bran muffins are amazingly good! Very moist and tasty. Althoigh i had to alter the recipe because half way through i realized my pantry lacked some ingredients. My 4 year old just are 3. My 12 year old thought they tasted like bird seed. Which is wierd because she is the most adventurous eater. TO each their own I guess…
I will be making these often.
I subbed in avocado oil and 1/4 C honey instead of the brown sugar. My batter was runny so i could not mound the tops well so they cooked up flat. I will measure more precisely next time.
★★★★★
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Hi Christine! Great feedback. I would definitely suggest making these as the recipe states, as they are unreal when made to specifications! However, still glad you enjoyed them 🙂
DONNA LEWIS
I made these today and followed the recipe to a T. Mine were thin and made 48 mini muffins. There was no way they were going to mound. They taste great, but had too much liquid. I will either decrease the water or blenderize (I have a BlendTec blender), so they are more like flour. What do you think happened?
Sarah | Broma Bakery
I’ve made them multiple times and they’re always SUPER thick. I’m wondering if you missed an ingredient?