Whole wheat molasses raisin bran muffins

Credit where credit is due: this recipe is variously modified and stolen from internet sites and Google searches.

I wanted to make raisin bran muffins, and the whole wheat and molasses give a nice texture and flavour (not to mention whole wheat flour being healthier). This recipe makes about two dozen muffins, depending on how large you make them. I ended up with 21 muffins that were slightly on the large side. I haven't tried freezing them, so I don't know how long they can last, but they tend to disappear fairly quickly...

Missing from photo: eggs, butter.

INGREDIENTS
Dry:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups wheat bran
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda

Wet:
2-3 bananas, mashed
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
2 cups raisins



Oven: 350 F
Dishes: two mixing bowls; two muffin pans; 1 cup  / 1 tbsp / 1 tsp; 2 cup (liquid); 2 spoons, whisk
Time: prep 15-20, cleanup 5, baking 20-25
TL;DR: Cover raisins in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain. Combine dry, combine wet, mix together. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

First, cover the raisins in boiling water and set them aside: this will soften them and keep them moist during the baking process.

Pour just enough to cover the raisins.	A few minutes later: the raisins soften around the edges.

Combine the flour, wheat bran, and baking soda in a very large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, butter, molasses and eggs. I sliced the bananas, but I'm not sure that actually made them easier to mash. I ended up using a combination of stirring and whisking to get everything mixed.

For the dry ingredients, stir so that the baking soda is well-distributed. For the wet ingredients, mix/mash until there are no large lumps. The mixture doesn't have to be homogeneous, but it shouldn't have large pieces or butter or banana.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; drain the water off the raisins and pour them and the wet ingredients in. Stir until everything is mixed. If you want softer, more crumbly muffins, don't overmix - I just folded in the wet ingredients until the dough had formed.

[Note: I started preheating the oven to 350 F at this point, since I was being slow.]

Transfer the dough to the muffin pans. Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until done. Depending on the oven, you might want to rotate the pans after 15-17 minutes if the heat is uneven.

Before...

... and after!

Let the muffins sit for a minute or two, then carefully remove them from the pan. (Most of these muffins' structural integrity comes from their crust). Depending on how much they spill over the edge of the tin, this can be easy or hard - I used a plastic spoon to loosen the edges before scooping the muffins out.

Muffins, fresh out of the oven.	Removing the muffins with a plastic spoon.

They're tasty on their own (a cup each of butter and molasses will do that), but having them with butter or jam or, in my case, a cup of coffee never hurts. Serve hot!

Breakfast!