I do believe I've found the bran muffin of my dreams. This recipe is from Nancy Silverton's pastry cookbook (based on her recipes for La Brea Bakery in CA).
Uses the loose wheat bran I bought for the New York Time's unkneaded bread recipe, then shoved in the freezer and forgot about. I was out of regular flour, so I used self-rising. I was out of raisins, so I used dried dates for the sweetener and dried cranberries for add-ins. Then I threw in pecans for crunch. Obviously, it is a Moynable recipe.
Nancy's recipe, as she meant it to be: (my notes in brackets)
2 cups unprocessed bran
1 and 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 and 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup canola oil
1 extra large egg
1 extra large egg white
1/2 cup unbleached AP flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
(M added 1 cup dried cranberries)
(M added 1 cup toasted pecans)
Spread the bran on a baking sheet, toast at preheated 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes and stir to avoid burn spots.
In a small saucepan, simmer 1 cup of raisins and 1 cup of water over low heat until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Place in a blender or food processor and process until pureed. (I used dried dates and a stick blender)
Pour the bran into a large bowl, add buttermilk and the remaining 1/2 cup of water and stir to combine. Stir in the raisin puree, orange zest, and brown sugar. (One blogger used orange extract rather than zest.)
Add the oil, whole egg, and egg white and mix well to incorporate.
Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the raisin mixture; add the remaining whole raisins and stir to combine.
Spoon the batter into prepared muffin tins, filling the cups to just over the rim.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until the muffins are well browned and firm to the touch.
yield: 10 muffins (M got 12)
(Mar's Notes: I dumped all the liquids together: eggs, oil, remaining water, buttermilk, orange zest and wizzed with stick blender. Then I added the brown sugar (1/3 C because that's all I had left) and the pureed dates and wizzed again. Then I tossed in the toasted bran and let it sit while I sifted the self-rising flour, whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp each of baking powder and baking soda and 1/8 tsp salt). Added 1 C dried cranberries and 1 C chopped toasted pecans and scooped into 12 paper-lined muffin tins filled to the brim. Baked 25 minutes. Perfect, slightly rounded, shiny tops.
Had one warm last night. Had one cold for breakfast this morning. Will definitely make again.
WW Points:
Nancy's = 4 points
Marilyn's tweaked version = 7 points each, due to the extra fat/calories in the pecans and the calories from the extra cranberries.
PS: I steadfastly ignored my unwashed ceiling during this cooking event.
http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Silvertons-Pastries-Brea-Bakery/dp/0375501932/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212341009&sr=1-3
Uses the loose wheat bran I bought for the New York Time's unkneaded bread recipe, then shoved in the freezer and forgot about. I was out of regular flour, so I used self-rising. I was out of raisins, so I used dried dates for the sweetener and dried cranberries for add-ins. Then I threw in pecans for crunch. Obviously, it is a Moynable recipe.
Nancy's recipe, as she meant it to be: (my notes in brackets)
2 cups unprocessed bran
1 and 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 and 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup canola oil
1 extra large egg
1 extra large egg white
1/2 cup unbleached AP flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
(M added 1 cup dried cranberries)
(M added 1 cup toasted pecans)
Spread the bran on a baking sheet, toast at preheated 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes and stir to avoid burn spots.
In a small saucepan, simmer 1 cup of raisins and 1 cup of water over low heat until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Place in a blender or food processor and process until pureed. (I used dried dates and a stick blender)
Pour the bran into a large bowl, add buttermilk and the remaining 1/2 cup of water and stir to combine. Stir in the raisin puree, orange zest, and brown sugar. (One blogger used orange extract rather than zest.)
Add the oil, whole egg, and egg white and mix well to incorporate.
Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the raisin mixture; add the remaining whole raisins and stir to combine.
Spoon the batter into prepared muffin tins, filling the cups to just over the rim.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until the muffins are well browned and firm to the touch.
yield: 10 muffins (M got 12)
(Mar's Notes: I dumped all the liquids together: eggs, oil, remaining water, buttermilk, orange zest and wizzed with stick blender. Then I added the brown sugar (1/3 C because that's all I had left) and the pureed dates and wizzed again. Then I tossed in the toasted bran and let it sit while I sifted the self-rising flour, whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp each of baking powder and baking soda and 1/8 tsp salt). Added 1 C dried cranberries and 1 C chopped toasted pecans and scooped into 12 paper-lined muffin tins filled to the brim. Baked 25 minutes. Perfect, slightly rounded, shiny tops.
Had one warm last night. Had one cold for breakfast this morning. Will definitely make again.
WW Points:
Nancy's = 4 points
Marilyn's tweaked version = 7 points each, due to the extra fat/calories in the pecans and the calories from the extra cranberries.
PS: I steadfastly ignored my unwashed ceiling during this cooking event.
http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Silvertons-Pastries-Brea-Bakery/dp/0375501932/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212341009&sr=1-3