Bran Muffins

I love bran cereal with raisins and probably ate waaaay too much of it while pregnant with our oldest son. But hey, baby wants what baby wants, am I right? ;) So this is a tribute to my overeating of cereal pregnancy days but with a little makeover. Plus breakfast on the go is such a time saver with the added benefit of not having to do dishes later! These muffins will keep you full for hours, are packed with fiber, plump sweet raisins and almost difficult to stop at just one.

Here are A few tips before you get started :)

When baking, it is always best to use room temperature ingredients and when you haven't planned in advance, here's a tip to help speed up the process.

Place your eggs in warm water for a several minutes or until the shells are no longer cold to the touch. The same can also be done with your liquid ingredients; just place them in an a measuring cup, inside the water bath, with the water coming up halfway on the sides . Make sure to stir the mixture every so often to distribute the warmth. Now your that much closer to enjoying your muffins :)

Anytime you are baking with raisins, place them in any container you choose and cover them with warm water while you prep the rest of your ingredients. This will give This will give you nice plump raisins in your baked goods every time. Make sure to drain them and pat them dry before you add them to the batter.

Bran Muffins

Makes 12 large

1 1/3 c (200 g) Rains, soaked

31/2 c (200 g) *Wheat Bran

2 ½ c (320 g) Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 tsp Sea Salt

1 ¼ c (300 g) **Buttermilk, room temperature

1 ⅓ c (306 g) Creme Fraiche, room temperature

2 Eggs, warm/room temperature

½ c + 2 tbsp (140 g) Dark Brown Muscovado Sugar

2 tsp Vanilla Powder

½ c (180 g) ***Honey, warmed and cooled

Norway:

* What Bran: Kruskakli

**Buttermilk: Kulturmelk

***Honey: I have found that EKTE HONNING from Kiwi works well here. Not only is it inexpensive, it is very mild in flavor and does not impart any floral notes to your muffins. When baking with other honey such as “blomster honning”, it can leave your muffins with a strong floral taste. Whether or not this is something you are after, it's nice to keep in mind while baking ;)

Bake at 350f/175c

25-30 minutes

Preheat your oven

If your eggs are not at room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes or until the exterior of the shell is no longer cold. Room temperature eggs or even slightly warmer, will have a better chance at achieving greater volume when whipped than eggs that are cold.

In a small bowl, cover the raisins in warm water and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, wheat bran baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla, set aside.
In a mixing cup with a pour spout, combine the buttermilk and creme fraiche and set aside.
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the Dark brown sugar, vanilla powder and eggs on high until pale, thick and fluffy. About 5 minutes. Scrap down the bowl halfway through.
On low speed, with beater still running, slowly pour in the honey. Mix until combined. Shaping the bottom of the bowl.
Turn the mixer off, working with a spatula, fold in ⅓ of the flour, followed by ½ of the buttermilk mixture. Add the next addition of flour just before the last trace of buttermilk mixture is incorporated. Continue folding, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Gently fold in the raisins*, with the last addition of flour, until the last trace of flour is incorporated. Do not over mix.
*Drain the raisins and pat them dry. 100% dry is not a big deal, just not dripping with water is the goal.
In a prelined muffin tin, use a large scoop and fill each muffin tin ¾ full.