Eat Your Bran! - Homemade Bran Muffins

Eat your bran, that's the scream of the day.  It's healthy, it has a ton of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, it plays a big part in helping with your digestive health, so it's all good for you.  Eat healthier, do this for your health, do that for your health, studies show that eating more fiber is better for your health.  Every time you turn the TV on, see or read the news, everything is bad for you so eat more of this or take that.  It's annoying, especially if you like all the bad stuff, like me.  I try to eat healthy, it doesn't always work out, I have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.  I do give it my best shot when I walk into the kitchen though.  But I have to say, I may not be eating that bad, all my health reports come back great, so I must be doing something good, right?

This recipe is one of those foods I make to keep me on track.  Many years ago, a woman I worked with, would bake and bring into the office these bran muffins that were to die for.  I was skeptical to try them at first, eeewww! bran muffins, who eats those? Gross, dry, no taste bran muffins.  Give me some chocolate chip or blueberry muffins or something all sugared up, that's the muffin I want!  Well let me tell you, they are the best bran muffins around and you can't eat just one.  I begged for her recipe, she relented and finally gave it to me.  I pulled it out again the other day and made a batch.  They're like a dessert, heavy so they fill you up, but moist.  They are full of raisins, nuts if you want them in there, and flavorful my friends.  They are that good!  OK, I already ate two of them right from the oven, I need to stop!

  Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

These are my ingredients, as always I pull them out first.

  This recipe has a few tricks up it's sleeve, you have to mix the baking soda with hot water, but be careful, it's like a science experiment, do it over the sink for sure! I didn't and it bubbled up all over the place and down the kitchen cabinets!  BE CAREFUL, DO IT OVER OR IN THE SINK.  Then set it aside and let it cool.

Toss together the bran flakes and buds, set aside.

Coat raisins with flour, set aside

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs. 

 Flour and buttermilk.

 Alternately add the flour and buttermilk and mix, the recipe calls for a whole quart of buttermilk, then add the water and mix to combine.

Add bran then the raisins.  Mix it all up with a spatula, the batter will be somewhat thin, until the next day.  The bran will soak it up.

  I divided the batter into 2 bowls, it does expand overnight.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

This recipe makes a lot of muffins, but I only baked 12.  I lined my muffin pan with foil liners.  If you are brave just grease the pan, I'm not!

 Baked and out of the oven!

Chock full of  yummy-ness.  They are good for you and you don't even know it because they are so delicious.  Add butter, jam, marmalade or just all by themselves, a darn good muffin!

 HOMEMADE BRAN MUFFINS

THIS MIX HAS TO SIT FOR 24 HOURS IN THE REFRIGERATOR BEFORE USING

Ingredients

2 cups boiling water

5 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups bran flakes
4 cups all bran original or buds (buds have more RDA of fiber in them)
1 1/2 cups raisins
2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 quart buttermilk

5 cups unbleached flour

(walnuts, pecans, optional, toss with flour if you add them in)

Directions

Mix the 2 cups of hot water with the 5 teaspoons of baking soda.  Do this over the sink, it will bubble up and you may get burned!  Once bubbling stops, whisk together to combine.  Set aside and let it cool. In a large bowl, mix the bran flakes and all bran/buds together, set aside.  In a small bowl, toss the raisins with the 2 tablespoons of flour, set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar together.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat after each. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, ending with flour.  Mix well scraping the sides of the bowl as you mix. Add the water mixture and blend well.  Turn the mixer off and fold in the bran with a spatula or wooden spoon, until all is combined.  Add the raisins by folding them in.  Don't work the batter to much it will make for tough muffins.  Divide the batter into 2 mixing bowls, it will expand overnight.  Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tin or line with foil liners.  Stir the batter lightly with a spatula.  Spoon batter into muffin cups, or use an ice cream scoop for more even filled muffin cups.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out with a few crumbs on it.  Do not over bake, it will make the muffins dry! Although these won't last long because they're that good, the batter will keep in the refrigerator for 6 weeks, keep it tightly covered. The buttermilk acts as the preservative, so you can bake a few muffins or as many muffins as you want. Makes 36 muffins.

Apple Cider Donuts - YUMMY!

I've made donuts before, out of biscuits -hahaha, but never homemade.  This is a first for me, taking basic ingredients and turning them into something so good and delicious.  Nothing says Fall like a cup of warm Apple Cider with a cinnamon stick in it.  These donuts taste like that, they are soft and fluffy, like a cake donut.  As soon as you are done frying them up, roll them in cinnamon sugar and serve for a wonderful warm treat on a brisk day.  Recipe below, enjoy!

A few of the ingredients and a donut cutter.  If you don't have a donut cutter, no fear, use a flour rimmed glass to cut the donut shape and a bottle cap for the center.  Save your holes, you can fry them too!

 Apple cider and buttermilk, no buttermilk, no fear, put 1/2 tsp lemon juice in a measuring cup fill with milk to make the half of cup that you need.  Here is the dough it's a little sticky so you need more flour for kneading.

Shape dough into a ball, roll out and start cutting.

 Fry them up and turn them over....oooohhhh they look good!

 Drain them and roll them in cinnamon sugar.

 How good do these look?  Good enough to eat! Served with Apple Cider and a Cinnamon Stick.

 Up close and personal with the donuts - yummy!

Quick Apple Cider Donuts

Ingredients

4 1/4 cups of flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of Crisco vegetable shortening
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of buttermilk
3/4 cup of  fresh refrigerated Apple Cider
Canola Oil for frying
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg, set aside. In a medium bowl cream the sugar with the Crisco until it is somewhat smooth.  Add the eggs to this mixture and mix, add the buttermilk, then the cider.  Mix until all is combined.  Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir until all is incorporated.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface, if dough is too sticky sprinkle with flour.  Knead dough, add flour if necessary, until you have a nice round ball.  The dough is very soft.  Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness, cut donuts with floured donut cutter or glass, and put onto baking sheets.  Let firm up in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  Take out and let them sit for about 5 minutes before frying.

Use about 2 cups of oil to fry the donuts.  Heat oil on medium-high heat.  Drop one of the donut holes in the oil and when it floats to the top and is brown, the oil is ready for frying. Fry the donuts 2 or 3 at a time, as not to crowd the pan.  Be careful the oil is hot!  Cook on each side about 4 minutes, flipping them as you fry them. Watch them carefully so they do not burn.  Drain on a cooling rack lined with paper towels.

Mix the 1 1/2 cups of sugar with the 1 Tbsp cinnamon.  While still warm, roll in cinnamon sugar.

Makes 16 donuts plus holes.  Any leftover scraps I roll into balls and make my own holes.  Store in an airtight container. These are best when freshly made.