Fluffy Baby Bran Muffins

I'm a sucker for a good bran muffin. I don't normally cruise the pastry case at cafes, but if I see the silhouette of a dark brown, moist, chunky bran muffin in the corner of my eye - it and I, are sold. Unfortunately, a majority of them are loaded with copious amounts of refined sugars and butter, so I took it upon myself to find a healthier version that I could mess around with. This recipe was adapted from from a bran muffin recipe in The New York Times Natural Food Cookbook published in 1971.


Baby Bran Muffins

Yields two dozen baby brans, or one dozen larger muffins

Ingredients

2 cups white whole wheat flour OR stone ground whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons raw natural cane sugar OR brown sugar
2 cups full fat yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup honey, preferably a light honey such as clover
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup of add-ins of your choice - raisins, chopped dried fruit, nuts, etc (optional) - I used apricots for a tang, and plump raisins for something sweet

Preheat oven to 425* F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, wheat bran, salt, baking soda and sugar.

Beat together the yogurt, egg, honey, and butter in a second larger bowl. Add the dry ingredients and fold in until everything comes together. Fold in any optional add-ins, raisins, nuts, and the like. Resist over-mixing.

Either grease a mini-muffin tin with butter or line the tin with small muffin papers. Fill each 3/4 full and top off with a little bit of honey on top for a sweet, caramelized top. Bake 10 -15 minutes, until muffins are golden on top and cooked through. You can also make larger muffins in a standard size muffin pan with this batter, you just need to bake them about 5 minutes longer.

These babies are so great right out of the oven with a little jam and a spot of tea!