Bran Muffins

These bran muffins are so wholesome and delicious. They’re great for an on the go breakfast or an afternoon snack.

These bran muffins are one of my new favorite ways to start the day. They’re great on their own, or perfect paired with your favorite fruit smoothie, or some sausage or bacon. They’re great as is, but also topped with some butter, jam, or honey.

These muffins are soft, tender, and moist. They are lightly sweetened, hearty, and packed full of fiber. Bran muffins aren’t always everyone’s favorite, but I promise this version is delicious and a great way to start your day.

They’re great on their own, or try adding in some blueberries, or cranberries to the mix! 

These bran muffins were adapted from this recipe at AllRecipes.

What is Wheat Bran?

Wheat kernels have three different parts, the outer layer of the kernel is the bran. There is also the endosperm and germ. The bran is packed full of different nutrients, and especially fiber. It has a bit of a nutty taste, and is great to add to baked goods, (like these muffins) or also oatmeal, casseroles, etc to help you get your daily fiber.

Ingredients Needed to make Bran Muffins:

• wheat bran – real wheat bran, not bran cereal.
• buttermilk – this keeps the muffins extra moist
• applesauce – this gives the muffins a little more moisture, and also keeps them light.
• egg – to help bind it all together
• brown sugar – to sweeten the muffins a little bit
• vanilla extract – for a little flavor
• all purpose flour  and whole wheat flour – I love the texture that both types of flours give the muffins
• baking soda and baking powder – to help the muffins lift and rise
• salt – to help with a little flavor

How to make Bran Muffins?

Mix together the wheat bran and buttermilk and let it soak for about 10 minutes. This will help the bran soften up a bit for the muffins.

In another bowl, mix the applesauce, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla until combined. Add them into the softened bran mixture and stir it until just combined.

Sift the flours together into the bowl, then sift in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt all on top of the wet ingredients and fold them together until combined.

Scoop about 1/2 cup of the batter into the greased muffin cups. 

Sprinkle a little more bran on top of each muffin.

Bake the muffins until the are cooked through, insert a toothpick into the middle of one, and they’re done when it comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs.

Tips for making Bran Muffins:

• Make sure you are using real wheat bran (not bran cereal). A great option is Bob’s Red Mill Brand. An 8oz bag lets you make 2 batches of these muffins.
• You can make homemade buttermilk by adding 1 TBS vinegar or lemon juice to your milk. Let it sit in a cup for about 10 minutes before adding it to the batter.
• If you want to make these muffins lighter you can lower the brown sugar to 1/2 cup instead of 2/3 cup.
• Instead of applesauce you can use the same amount of vegetable oil, canola oil, or coconut oil.
• You can add in a scoop of protein powder or flax meal to the muffin batter without any additional alterations.
• This is one of the rare times where I’ll tell you not to use paper liners. The muffins stick to them a lot and it really makes the muffins fall apart when you pull the liner off.
• You can add up to 1 cup of mix ins. Some great options are raisins, blueberries, nuts, etc. Fold them into the batter at the end of mixing.
• I usually make 8 bigger muffins with this recipe, but you could also make the muffins a smaller and make 16 regular sized muffins muffins, using about 1/4 cup batter in each spot to make 16 muffins. 
• You can also make mini muffins in a mini muffin tin, add about 1 1/2 TBS of the batter to each greased muffin spot and bake them for about 10 to 12 minutes.

How to store Bran Muffins?

These muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

You can also wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then a freezer safe bag or container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature overnight before enjoying again.

More Muffin Recipes:

• Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
• Blueberry Muffins
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
• Strawberry Muffins
• Blender Muffins

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