Makes about 12 large muffins
Over the past few years I've noticed that the texture and weight of wheat and oat brans can vary considerably, and some are much heavier than others. If you're weighing your brans, you might want to also portion them out in measuring cups the first time (which is how I measured them when I created the recipe), and if you've weighed out significantly more or less bran than the recipe calls for, consider altering the amounts.
Liquid ingredients are listed by weight—not fluid ounces—so you can pour them straight into the bowl on the scale, too. When adding the baking soda, baking powder, and salt, I recommend weighing in grams or using measuring spoons, as most home kitchen scales are not precise enough to accurately weigh such tiny amounts in ounces.
As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients; they really do make a difference. Look for organic wheat bran, oat bran, and whole wheat flour in the bulk bins at natural food stores and supermarkets.
2 cups (5¾oz/ 164g) organic wheat bran
1 cup (5oz/ 141g) organic oat bran
1 cup (6oz/ 170g) organic whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons (12g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (6g) baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1/2 teaspoon (4g) salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup (5½oz/ 156g) yogurt
1/3 cup (2¼oz/ 65g) safflower oil (or other neutral oil)
2/3 cup (7½ oz/ 216g) honey
1 teaspoon (6g) pure vanilla extract (optional)
2 cups peeled & mashed very ripe pears (about 3 pears or 17 oz) or 2 15-oz cans of pears, drained and mashed + 1/3 cup of the pear syrup
1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger, preferably uncrystallized
Place oven rack in middle of oven and heat oven to 375°. Grease a standard size muffin pan or use unbleached baking cups.
Combine wheat bran, oat bran, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Combine eggs, yogurt, safflower oil, honey, and vanilla in a small bowl and mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.
Gently stir in the pears and candied ginger.
Generously fill the muffin cups with batter. I use stainless steel scoops, which are also great for portioning out cookie dough.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and serve warm, or let cool on a wire rack.
Store muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze. Defrost muffins at room temperature, or in the microwave if you're really in a hurry.
Recipe source: FarmgirlFare.com
Recipe © FarmgirlFare.com
