Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Standard 12-cup muffin tin
• •Paper muffin liners
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Wooden spoon or sturdy spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the bran

   Pour the wheat bran into a large mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir until the bran is thoroughly moistened, with no dry pockets remaining. The mixture will look shaggy and unpromising. Let it sit for at least ten minutes while you prepare everything else. This soaking is essential. Dry bran produces muffins with the texture of sawdust.

   For the most tender muffins, make the batter the night before and refrigerate. The bran softens completely, and the flavors deepen beautifully. The batter keeps for up to five days.
2. 2

   Prepare wet ingredients

   To the soaked bran, add the oil, egg, brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is uniform and the brown sugar has dissolved into the liquid. The batter will turn a deep, almost mahogany brown. This is the color of proper bran muffins. Pale batter means weak molasses flavor.

3. 3

   Combine dry ingredients

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Breaking up any lumps now prevents streaks of raw flour in your finished muffins. The double leavening of soda and powder gives these dense muffins their necessary lift.

4. 4

   Mix and fold

   Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula using broad strokes, folding from the bottom of the bowl. Stop the moment the flour disappears. A few small lumps are acceptable and preferable to overmixed, tough muffins. Fold in the raisins with the last few strokes.

   Plump your raisins in hot water for ten minutes if they seem dry, then drain thoroughly before adding. This prevents them from stealing moisture from your batter.
5. 5

   Fill the tins

   Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a standard twelve-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or grease the cups generously with butter. Divide the batter evenly among the cups, filling each about three-quarters full. The batter is thick enough to mound slightly. Don't smooth the tops. Those irregular peaks will bake into honest, craggy domes.

6. 6

   Bake until risen

   Bake for twenty to twenty-two minutes, until the muffins have risen proudly and the tops spring back when pressed gently. A toothpick inserted in the center should emerge with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The kitchen will smell of warm molasses and toasted wheat. This is the smell of a proper morning.

7. 7

   Cool and serve

   Let the muffins rest in the tin for five minutes. They need this time to set their structure. Transfer to a wire rack if you want them to cool completely, or serve warm with a pat of good butter that melts into the craggy top. These muffins are best within two days, though they freeze beautifully.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out wheat bran at a natural foods store or the bulk section of a good grocery. Bran cereals are not the same thing. You want pure, unprocessed wheat bran that smells faintly nutty and feels soft between your fingers.
• •Unsulphured molasses has a cleaner, less bitter flavor than blackstrap. Look for brands labeled 'mild' or 'original.' If you can only find blackstrap, reduce the amount by half and make up the difference with honey.
• •Cold batter from the refrigerator can go directly into a hot oven. The muffins will take two to three minutes longer, but they'll rise even higher because the cold batter meets the hot air more dramatically.
• •These muffins pair beautifully with sharp cheddar cheese, an old American breakfast combination that deserves revival. The savory richness cuts the sweetness perfectly.

Advance Preparation

• •Batter can be made up to five days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The texture improves with resting. Portion directly from cold into muffin cups.
• •Baked muffins freeze for up to three months in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in a 300°F oven.
• •For fresh muffins on busy mornings, fill the muffin tin the night before and refrigerate. Bake directly from cold, adding three minutes to the baking time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 muffin (about 65g)