30 day Raisin Bran muffins

This 30 day raisin bran muffins recipe is filled with dried fruits and nuts; wholesome, soft, moist and tasting faintly of ginger spice even though no spices are added.

I prefer to bake the bran muffins the day after the mixture is made so that the ingredients have time to soften and the flavors can infuse. However it can be baked within 30 minutes of mixing.

This 30 day bran muffin recipe is so awesome that we usually kept it a maximum of 2-3 days before it was all baked and eaten. However, my recent test had it in the fridge for 3 weeks before baking with very little loss of integrity and only a slight increase in density.

I was at high school when a family friend first gave me her 30 day muffin recipe made with nutty wheat flour and wheat bran. She was making the raisin bran muffins as part of a healthy eating plan and said that it was a lifesaver on days when she was busy and needed something to grab and go.

I was not sure what to expect from a refrigerator raisin bran muffin recipe, but since we all liked muffins I agreed to at least try it. I was pleasantly surprised because despite the lack of fancy ingredients it is a relatively healthy bran muffin recipe that tastes so good, and is both delicious and filling.

What to add to raisin bran muffins

• Dried fruits like raisins, sultanas, dates or figs add sweetness while cranberries added a sweet sour note.
• Chopped or grated fruits like apple or pear add moistness to the baked muffin but may start fermenting if the mixture is kept longer than 4-5 days.
• You can add banana for raisin bran banana muffins or grated carrot for a carrot bran muffin recipe.
• I like to add chopped toasted walnuts or pecans for additional texture and flavor.
• Soft brown sugar gives the muffins a delicious caramel flavor and color but this can be substituted with light brown, castor or fine granulated sugar. Note that the substitution will result in a lighter color and less depth of flavor.
• You can make this an all bran muffins recipe by replacing the cake flour with wholewheat flour. You should note that the consistency will be much heavier and it will have a denser crumb.
• The recipe can also be tweaked to use oat flour instead of cake flour and making oat bran muffins.
• You can also replace the eggs and make vegan bran muffins with applesauce or flaxseed egg replacer. I have not tried the recipe without eggs but it is an option for vegans or those with egg allergies.
• The digestive bran in the recipe gives a fiber boost and the high fiber bran muffins are quite useful when you are suffering constipation. Just remember to drink lots of water.

Surprisingly the refrigerator raisin bran muffins were also a favorite of my teenage Saturday cake stall customers. I suspect that it’s because they were great in school meal bags for a mid-morning or afternoon snack, when learners often experience an energy slump.

Somewhere along the line when my product range expanded we stopped making these healthy raisin bran muffins recipe as much, and the recipe was lost. I was so pleased when I received my Ultimate Snowflake Collection recipe book written by Heilie Pienaar, and saw that there was a similar Snowflake 30 day bran muffin recipe to the one I recall from my youth.

For more breakfast options why not try:

• Moist Blueberry muffins
• Almond and Coconut breakfast pancakes
• Banana pancakes
• Easy Moist Banana Walnut bread
• Greek Yogurt and Granola breakfast bowl

30 day Raisin Bran muffins

Razena Schroeder

These 30 day raisin bran muffins are delicious; wholesome, soft, moist and with the crunch of walnuts and a faint hint of ginger although no spice is added.

4.81 from 21 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Breakfast and Brunch

Cuisine South African

Servings 24

Calories 232 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 210 grams cake flour approximately 375 ml or 1 1/2 cups
• 140 grams high bran wholewheat flour approximately 250 ml or 1 cup
• 10 ml bicarbonate of soda approximately 2 teaspoons
• 5 ml salt
• 90 grams digestive bran approximately 500 ml or 2 cups
• 275 grams light soft brown sugar (Muscovado) approximately 435 ml or 1 3/4 cups
• 5 ml lemon rind, grated
• 150 grams raisins approximately 250 ml or 1 cup
• 125 grams pitted dates, chopped approximately 17 medium dried dates
• 110 grams walnuts, chopped approximately 250 ml or 1 cup (equivalent to 1 1/4 cup walnut halves)
• 2 large eggs approximately 70 grams each
• 500 ml milk approximately 2 cups
• 125 ml olive oil approximately 1/2 cup
• 5 ml vanilla extract approximately 1 teaspoon

Instructions

 

• Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda and add the salt into a large bowl. 
• Empty the sifted bran into the bowl as well and add the other bran.
• Add the raisins, chopped dates and walnuts and mix with the dry ingredients.
• Rub the lemon rind into the sugar to release the essential oils and aromatics.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk and oil and add the vanilla extract.
• Add the egg mixture to the sugar and lemon rind and whisk for a minute to dissolve any sugar lumps. 
• Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix lightly until just combined and still lumpy. Overmixing will make the muffin rubbery.
• At this point you can cover and refrigerate the muffin batter until required (it lasts up to 30 days), or let it rest while you prepare the baking pans.
• Heat the oven to 180 degree celcius or 160 if it is a fan assisted oven / 355 F / Gas mark 4.
• Line a muffin tin with deep muffin liners and fill each liner at least two thirds of the way.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
• For batter that has been refrigerated, spoon into the muffin liners and allow to come off the chill at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking.
• Serve muffins warm or at room temperature with salted butter, jam and cheese.

Notes

• You can substitute melted coconut oil or sunflower oil for olive oil. 
• For the high bran wholewheat flour I use Snowflake Nutty Wheat but you could use Graham Flour instead. I find that store bought wholewheat flour always goes bad easily or has weevils.
• I have made my own on occasion. For 250 grams whole wheat flour combine the following: 6.25 grams wheatgerm + 35 grams bran + 208.25 grams cake flour

Nutrition

Calories: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 214mgPotassium: 206mgFiber: 3gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 55IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1.2mg

Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.

Keyword halaal recipes, healthy, make-ahead, simple recipe

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This recipe was first published on 12/05/2015 and has since been updated.

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