Refrigerator Bran Muffins

These hearty, filling bran muffins are packed with fiber from the bran. This recipe calls for wheat bran flakes. They are not the same as cereal flakes which are made with bran flakes.

You can keep the batter in the refrigerator for a few days and bake fresh, hot muffins in the morning. Leftover batter will not rise as high as the fresh batter so if that is a concern, bake the whole batch and freeze the muffins. You can warm them up in the microwave.

5 from 11 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 50

Servings:

Calories: 317kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

1-¼ cups wheat bran flakes 65 grams
¾ cups boiling water
2 eggs
½ cup molasses or honey 170 grams
1 cup buttermilk 236 grams
¼ cup coconut oil melted (50 grams)
1-¼ cups all-purpose flour 150 grams
½ cup whole wheat flour 60 grams
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Optional Add-Ins

½ cup raisins
⅓ cup toasted chopped nuts
⅓ cup toasted coconut

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F
Line a 6 cup Texas-size muffin tin OR a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or spray the muffin tin with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, use a fork to mix the bran and boiling water until all the bran is damp. The mixture will look like damp sand. Reserve until needed.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, molasses (or honey), buttermilk, and coconut oil. Stir in the reserved bran flake mixture.
In another bowl add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together until well sifted then fold into the wet bran mixture. Fold in the optional add-ins if using.
Fill each muffin liner 3/4 full and bake in the middle of the oven. Standard size muffins will need to bake for 17 to 20 minutes and Texas-sized muffins need to bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when testing.

Notes

Use wheat bran flakes, not bran cereal. Wheat bran is the outer layer of the wheat kernel and it is not the same as bran cereal.
If you want sweeter muffins, you can add up to 1/3 cup of granulated sugar or brown sugar to the mixture. Do not add additional honey or molasses.
The raisins, nuts, and coconut are optional and have not been calculated in the nutrition information. You will have about 3 to 4 extra muffins if you add all of the add-ins.
If you want to reduce the fat content, you can replace all or part of the coconut oil with applesauce but the muffins will be dryer and a bit crumbly.
You can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. However, if you bake the batter while it is still fresh, the muffins will rise higher.
This is an old-fashioned recipe that a friend gave me in 1970. The original recipe stated that you can keep the raw batter in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. However, since the batter has dairy and raw eggs, we are not comfortable storing it for that long.

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