Recipe – Bran Muffins

Oh man guys.  Guess who forgot to take a picture of finished muffins?  The answer, in case you haven’t guessed, is this gal.  “But Maggie,” you ask (plaintively), “How will we know if the muffins are any good if we can’t see a picture of the finished product?”  Well, this is a case where you’re going to have to trust me.  Back before the internet, there were often recipes in cookbooks or magazines that were not accompanied by a picture, and you just had to use your imagination.  Luckily for you, you can see the batter in it’s pre-baked form here and below, and you can trust.  If you’re desperate for a final image, take a look here.  Those are way fancier and more complicated than the recipe I’m about to give you, but the look is 95% the same.  Not a lot of rise on the muffin top, but just a hearty little muffin, ready to fill your belly and power your day.

Will it sound silly to say that this recipe for bran muffins is my favorite kind of muffin ever?  A little.  It makes me sound like my favorite kind of music is hold muzak, and how I love to wait in line at the pharmacy.  I promise, these muffins are better than that.  My mom has been making them for years, with a recipe that she got from a friend, and has been making for our family since we were very little.  The best part of the recipe is that you can make it in advance, store it in an airtight, non-metal container in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.  And then when you’re ready to make a dozen or more muffins, you can just scoop the more-congealed and less-messy refrigerated batter directly into the muffin tins.

The recipe below is for a full batch of batter – this makes about 4 dozen muffins, but I’ve found that that’s too many to make all at once.  I also don’t have the giant tupperware bowl that my mom has, so I have to make a smaller batch of batter to start off – halving the recipe gives you two dozen worth, made in one or two batches, or spread out in singles over the course of up to six weeks.  Because the batter keeps in the fridge, you can make the muffins one or two at a time, and they only take 15-20 minutes to bake (after you preheat).  It’s basically the best easy breakfast to make ever.

Tips for eating – eat them hot.  Right out of the oven (after maybe a couple minutes to cool, I guess) is best, with lots of butter or else with jam, or your favorite plain-muffin condiment.  If they cool to room temperature, pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to make one or two hot again, and you’re back in business.

One more note: I don’t buy buttermilk, because I wouldn’t use it enough.  Instead, a while back I purchased a package of powdered buttermilk, and keep it in the fridge.  It has not failed me yet.

Bran Muffins

16oz Bran flakes cereal box
3 cups sugar
1 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk or milk
5 cups flour
5 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together.  Bake at 400F for 15 – 20 minutes, in an either lined or greased muffin pan.  Let cool.

Batter keeps 6 weeks in the refrigerator in a non-metal container.