Whiteley Creek Homestead

I had just a little raw milk that I hadn't used before it turned sour. It's not so tasty on hot cereal, but for muffins… a perfect substitute for buttermilk or yogurt. These bran muffins, a recipe from Jane Kinderlehrer's Smart Muffins Cookbook, are super moist yet contain only 1 tbsp oil for 12 muffins. Unlike traditional bran muffin recipes that contain 1/3 – 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 – 2/3 cup brown sugar, the sweetness in the Buttermilk Bran Muffins comes from molasses and fruit.

Buttermilk Bran Muffins

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

1/3 cup molasses

1 tbsp olive oil

¾ cup buttermilk or yogurt (I used sour milk because it’s what I had.)

1 cup sifted whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup oat bran (I had none, so I subbed ¼ c ground flaxseed + ¼ c raw wheat germ.)

3 tbsp lecithin granules

2 tbsp wheat germ

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp grated orange rind

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ cups blueberries (or ½ cup raisins)

finely chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, blend together the egg whites, molasses, olive oil, and buttermilk or yogurt. In another bowl, mix together the orange rind and dry ingredients. Preheat oven to 400°. Oil 12 regular-size muffin cups or line with paper baking cups. Combine the two mixtures and mix just to moisten the ingredients. Fold in the blueberries or raisins. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Top each with a sprinkling of walnuts. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Yield: 12 muffins.