The Bran Muffin To End All Bran Muffins
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Many of you already know of this bran muffin, a Nancy Silverton creation served at the widely adored La Brea Bakery. Made with toasted wheat bran, freshly grated orange zest, and simmered and puréed raisins, it is one of the most delicious muffins — bran or otherwise — out there.
This is a true bran muffin, not a brown muffin under the guise of bran muffin. Despite being nearly one hundred percent whole grain in makeup, it is perfectly sweet and super moist. This is a muffin you feel almost OK about eating by the half dozen and one you feel truly OK about packing into lunch bags and taking on road trips.
Is it a little fussy? Toasted bran, grated zest, plumped and puréed raisins? Yes, a little bit. But I would argue that the bran muffin to end all bran muffins deserves to be so. I think you’ll agree.
Nancy Silverton’s Bran Muffins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
Description
From Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery
Notes: Because I don’t love the texture of raisins in baked goods, I puréed all of them in step 3 versus saving a half cup to fold in at the end. If you like the texture of raisins, however, by all means, save a 1/2 cup to be folded in at the end.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (125g) wheat bran
- 1 1/2 cups (190g total) dark raisins
- 1 1/2 cups (370ml total) water
- 1/2 cup (120g) buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt (I used buttermilk)
- zest of one orange
- 1/2 cup (105g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil (I used canola)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 cup (65g) flour
- 1/4 cup (35g) whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease with butter or oil or use these free-standing paper liners, which are fun and pretty.
- Spread the wheat bran on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for six to eight minutes, stirring a few times so it cooks evenly. Let cool.
- While the bran is toasting, heat 1 cup of the raisins with 1/2 cup of the water. (Note: I simmered all of the raisins (1.5 cups) at once with 3/4 cups water, then added the remaining 3/4 cup water to the batter (step 4) afterwards.) Simmer for ten minutes, or until the water is all absorbed (I simmered for 10 minutes and all of the water was not absorbed, but I figured it was OK, and it was). Puree the raisins in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix together the toasted bran, buttermilk or yogurt, 1 cup water (or 3/4 cup water if you have simmered all of the raisins with 3/4 cup water), then mix in the raisin puree, orange zest, and brown sugar.
- Stir in the oil, egg and egg white.
- Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and sift (or not) directly into the wet ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, then mix in the remaining 1/2 cup raisins (if you haven’t puréed all of them already).
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, making sure the batter is mounded slightly in each one. Because muffin tins can very in size, if your tins are larger, make fewer muffins.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the muffins feel set in the center.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Muffin
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: breakfast, healthy, bran, whole, grain, muffin
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
75 Comments on “The Bran Muffin To End All Bran Muffins”
Could you tell me the calories for this recipe? I don’t normally count calories, but right now I am not good at judging how many I am without counting them and while I’m on a weight loss journey , I must cut my calories since I realized I was eating way too many!! I am learning what and how much I should be eating but it will take a bit of time. I am a cancer survivor and one of the #1 things to keep it in remission is keeping a reasonable weight and BMI. Thanks!
Hi Jan! I don’t have that information, but this is a wonderful tool: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Wonder how would this taste with graham or spelt flour?
I think it would be wonderful!
I just made these and whoops I completely forgot to add the oil. But guess what? They’re moist and delicious without all those extra calories. I’m not sure what would have happened had I added the oil.
For a few of these I did do a honey glaze at the bottom of my muffin tin before adding the batter. (Ala Mimi’s bran muffins)
These are so good!!!
★★★★★
PS… I just did the calorie count. Without the addition of oil there are 173 cal.
Adding a half a cup of oil adds 964 cal or 80 cal to each muffin. Honestly the raisins and the buttermilk was enough to make these very moist. Without the oil they may be hard as a brick tomorrow! we will see.
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear all of this, Debbie! What a happy/healthy discovery?! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. Next time I make them, I will leave out the oil. Buttermilk does work wonders, and I think you’re right about the raisins, too. Love the idea of the honey, too!
Ali,
Every single recipe of yours that I have made has been fabulous – add this one to the growing list. I shared some of these muffins with our neighbours who both exclaimed they were the best ever bran muffins they had ever tasted – my husband and I agree. Usually, I like whole raisins in my muffins but, accidentally, cooked them all in the water. Thought I’d be disappointed and would miss having the whole raisins but not all – these are, indeed, “the bran muffin to end all bran muffins.” Big time thanks, Ali. When I seek the best of the best recipe, you are my number one go-to.
★★★★★
So nice to read all of this, Sal 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you for your kind words. I’m so happy you did not miss the whole raisins, and I’m just so happy you liked these. They’ve been a longtime favorite, and my whole family gobbles them up. Thanks for writing!
My first review ever. I made these exactly as written and used yogurt. Everyone agreed the best bran muffin of all!
Wonderful to hear this, Bonnie! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Can’t wait to try this, but have a surplus of dates at home- could you substitute dates for the raisins?
Definitely! Will be delicious 🙂
As promised, the best, the very best bran muffin ever.
Used dates instead of raisins.
I’ve been looking for these muffins my whole life and am beyond thrilled to have found your recipe here. Thanks so so much.
★★★★★
Great to hear, Beverly! LOVE the idea of using dates. I’m sure I’d like that even more. Thanks for writing!
These were delicious. I used dates instead of raisins because that’s what I had. And had to make up half a cup of the bran with ground flaxseed because not enough bran in the cupboard. Otherwise stuck to the recipe. I’m hoping to make them a little more dense, more like the type I’ve had in a local bakery. These were quite light and fluffy (which isn’t a bad thing, just not the texture I’m going for). Next time will make sure I have enough bran and maybe reverse the white to wheat flour proportions? Also I may add a dash of molasses. Wonderful recipe which I’ll definitely be making regularly, thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Rachel! I think switching the ratios of flour will definitely make for a denser muffin as well as perhaps reducing some of the water or buttermilk. Good luck with your experiments. I love the idea of using dates here as I love dates and always have them on hand. Thanks for writing!
I made them today. Pretty good but next time I would not add the orange zest, over powers the bran flavor. A little confused with directions because I do like raisins in my bran muffins, so I put 1 cup raisins in the 1/2 cup water to simmer and added the balance of the ingredients as written, water & whole raisins.
★★★