Need A Muffin That Will Fill You Up? Check out this Bran Muffin

Light Bran Muffin Recipe

January 8, 2015   17 Comments

I have to admit to hating bran muffins for most of my life. Then I decided to make my own, but I did encounter a few hurdles.

My husband, Matt, told me that he was going to the store and I asked him if he would mind picking me up some “wheat bran”.

“All Bran?”

“No, wheat bran.”

“What is wheat bran?”

“I don’t know – just walk down the baking aisle and it should be there.”

“Where?”

“AAAGH! Forget it.”

Behold wheat bran!

Right above the flour and a mere $2 for a box, supermarkets stock this source of insoluble fiber which is helpful for keeping your digestive system working properly (if you know what I mean).

This is a way to bulk up foods without adding a lot of calories and it is inexpensive.

I made these bran muffins below which were scrumptious. They are not too sweet and very moist. I ate one and that was all I needed.

The raisins account for ½ the sugar in this recipe so if you are looking to lower your sugar – don’t use them.

Have you tried to find wheat bran? What recipes do you use it in?

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Bran Muffin Recipe

Makes 12 muffins

1 ½ cups wheat bran
½ cup boiling water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a muffin tin with 12 foil muffin liners.

Mix together ½ cup wheat bran and ½ cup boiling water in a small bowl and put to the side. The water will absorb into the wheat bran.

Beat together vegetable oil, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla until sugar dissolves a bit. Add the buttermilk and blend. Add wet wheat bran, remaining 1 cup of wheat bran, flour, baking soda, salt, and raisins and mix until well blended.

Spoon into muffin cups filling ¾ of the cup. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Check to see if a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

For one muffin = 149 calories, 5.5 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 24.4 g carbohydrates, 10.6 g sugar, 3.5 g protein, 3.6 g fiber, 230 mg sodium, 4 Points+

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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17 Comments:

could you make this with whole wheat flour or would it be too dense?

on January 8, 2015

@Sara - I think it would be too dense and inedible BUT I didn't try it. The fiber content is high for a muffin so I wasn't worried about it - though I usually do avoid all-purpose flour.
Thanks for your question!

on January 8, 2015

I'm always looking for non processed portable snacks that will fit in my pocket to take to work with me. These look perfect!

on January 8, 2015

Hi Lisa, happy new year! Always look forward to your new posts n good foodie ideas! If I left out the raisins, how does that affect the carbs? I AM trying to watch my sugar intake...thanks for all you do to help us over eaters, dieters, and uninformed!

on January 8, 2015

I buy wheat bran in bulk from nuts.com If you want to use a whole wheat flour try King Arthur's White Whole Wheat. Just substitute 1 to 1 for APF.

on January 8, 2015

@Laurie - The sugar will go down 5 grams per muffin as will the grams of carbohydrates. I hope this helps!

on January 8, 2015

Can't wait to whip up a batch of these muffins for an easy breakfast on the go!

on January 8, 2015

Can you substitute regular milk for the buttermilk?

on January 8, 2015

Terry--to make a substitute for 1 cup of buttermilk (or sour milk) place 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and then fill to the one cup measure with regular milk. Let it stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.

on January 8, 2015

I use wheat bran (which reminds me of sawdust!) in a "morning muffin" recipe from Cooking Light (several years ago). Every once in awhile I'll throw it in something else I'm cooking. Thanks for this recipe - I'll try it with unsweetened cranberries rather than raisins. Lisa, thanks again for this wonderful website!

on January 8, 2015

Is it OK to substitute another oil? I thought vegetable oil wasn't good to use & having been trying other options but haven't found a go to choice yet. Thanks!

on January 8, 2015

Try substituting the same amount (1/4 cup) of canned pumpkin for the oil. Less fat, more fiber and vitamin A and it keeps muffins moist and delicious. You can freeze any leftover pumpkin in a ziploc bag in 1/4 c. portions to use in more recipes so u don't have to throw it away. Also works in great in chocolate or spice cupcake mix in place of the oil☺️

on January 8, 2015

Made them this morning. I used half a cup of whole wheat flour and half a cup of all purpose, came out great. My three sons, ages 10, 8 & 2 all happily ate them.

on January 9, 2015

This is such a coincidence! I just made some this week! The recipe was similar too. The only difference no water more buttermilk, I used whole wheat flour instead of white flour. I used apples in the middle instead of raisins. I added spices although not in recipe. OMG! They are sooo good and believe it or not light!

on January 9, 2015

My grandmother used to make bran muffins. I didn't pay attention to how she made them, but they were TASTY! It was kind of a staple for when my sister and I would visit for the summer because my sister always had issues in the "going" department. A couple of times she would substitute the raisins for small pieces of prunes. Genius!

on January 12, 2015

Made them this morning..put in cranberries and walnuts in them. Wonderful muffin!

on January 12, 2015

Can you substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil and egg?

on January 13, 2015

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