Growing up, my favourite activity was reading. It wasn’t uncommon to find me with my nose in a book and my mind lost in between its pages. If I wasn’t reading a book, then I could have been found in the library, going through the rows and rows of books looking for the perfect stack to come home with.
When you are the child of immigrants, you know that your life is different from “real” Canadians, even if you own a citizenship card that tells you otherwise. It was through the characters in the books that I read, that I learned what life was like for my “real” counterparts (mind you, most of the books I read were American). While I had many things in common with Ramona and Encyclopedia Brown, things like apple pie, muffins, chocolate cake were some of the things that I knew set us apart. These delights never came out of the oven in our home.
Fast forward to today, things have changed. My oven spits out muffins and pies with equal fervour as it does tandoori chicken or Greek potatoes and I’ve learned that there really is no fixed way to be Canadian.
These bran muffins are not so popular in our home during the summer months but come the start of school, they are made regularly, each week with a different add-in, diced apples being our favourite. They are wholesome and delicious and are perfect for breakfast or healthy treat for school lunches. And they’re simple enough… two bowls, no cereal boxes, no waiting for butter to soften!
Buttermilk Wheat Bran Muffins (adapted from Joy of Baking)
(yields 12)
- 130 g white whole wheat flour
- 100 g wheat bran
- 75 g unrefined cane sugar or muscovado
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 30 g olive oil
- 280 g buttermilk
- 80 g molasses
- 1 large egg
- optional add-ins: 1 cup raisins, currants, dried blueberries, or dried cranberries, chocolate chips, finely diced apple, shredded carrots, desiccated coconut, chopped nuts, pumpkin seeds (Muffins in the photos do not include any of these.)
- Preheat oven to 400 °F.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, bran, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. (unrefined sugar, muscovado, and baking soda tend to clump so mix well.)
- In a large bowl, add oil and swirl around to coat the sides of the bowl. Add buttermik, molasses and egg and whisk to combine.
- Add the dried ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and stir to combine (do not over-mix).
- Fold in the additives if using.
- Fill the muffin cups (batter will be quite runny) and bake for 20 minutes (check by using the toothpick test).
- Cool on a rack.
Once again we find common ground, Annika. I was also an avid reader as a child. Absolutely hated sports – I always had my head in a book. I do love a muffin fresh from the oven. You’ve used another of my favourite spices – cinnamon. Heavenly with apple. Gorgeous recipe and photos x
Somehow I am not surprised!! Thank you dear!
Sounds like a scrumptious recipe 😀
I love muffins, a treat I didn’t know about until I came to Canada. These look really yummy, have to try them!😋😍
Really? I didn’t know that they were strictly a North American thing? My husbands grandmother (from Germany) would bake some variation of these… but I guess, she must have learnt it here as well.
Nowadays you can find muffins, cupcakes (cupcake shops) and doughnuts in Switzerland. But I really never saw or ate a muffin before I came here.☺
Alternating the mix-ins is a good idea. Great way to keep it new. 🙂
You’ve got it… by the time the school year ends, the kids get tired of everything that’s been going into their lunch boxes… best to keep changing things a bit!
I just love to eat a healthy muffin for breakfast, I’ll have to try these Annika ☺
Oh do let me know! xx
I used to be the same as a girl and not much as changed. You recreated that bit about growing up and the passion therefore for whipping up all kinda savoury and sweet goodies in your oven. There is something so special about baked goodies and these bran muffins are bloody alluring 🙂 xx
And they are so much better when they come fresh out of your oven… do give it a try! xx
You know I will! 🙂 When I do I shall give you a shout. xx
I love your story,Annika! One more time want to say how similar and same time how different we are ! Thanks for love for food to bring us together.
Thank you dear! I totally agree, so glad to have met you in person yesterday!