How to Make Refrigerator Buttermilk Bran Muffins
Home-baked Muffins Quicker (and Cheaper) than a Run to the Bakery.
Nov 29, 2008
This makes nearly a gallon of batter that will keep, refrigerated, for one full month. The recipe can be halved if you have fewer muffin eaters in your herd. It probably goes without saying that these are a great source of dietary fiber, but you'll eat them because they taste great. For those who barely grab a coffee before dashing out of the house, the muffins make a great portable cereal breakfast.
The author likes them best when they are freshly baked and still warm enough to melt a pat of butter in the middle. Once cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container up to three days.
Refrigerator Buttermilk Bran Muffins
You will need: muffin tin, paper muffin cups, 1 gallon or larger mixing bowl, a sealable one-gallon jug or other container.
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp salt
Cereal & Fruit Ingredients:
- 2 cups each: quick-cooking oats and All-Bran (or other 100% bran cereal)
- 1 cup each: Grape-Nuts and raisin bran cereals
- 1 cup raisins (and/or other dried fruit chopped to raising size)
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
- 1 qt buttermilk, well shaken
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 4 large eggs
Method for the Batter:
- In the large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Then stir in the cereal and fruit until evenly distributed.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Then fold into the cereal mixture just until combined. The batter will be very thick. At this point the batter can be transferred to your jug or other storage container.
Method for Baking:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into each the muffin tin lined with paper muffin cups.
- Bake in the middle of the oven until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Take the muffins out of the muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.
Cooks Tip: If you're baking fewer than a full tin of muffins, fill the empty muffin cups ¾ full of water. This is easiest to accomplish with the tin in place on the oven rack.
About Dietary Fiber: While fiber may be best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation, fiber has also been shown to lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, the soluble fiber from oats (among other sources) lower blood cholesterol and glucose (blood sugar) levels.
How much fiber do you need in your diet? The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine makes the following recommendations:
- Men age 50 and younger: 38 grams
- Men over age 50: 30 grams
- Women age 50 and younger: 25 grams
- Women over age 50: 21 grams
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