Blueberry Bran Muffins
You simply have to try these blueberry bran muffins. They’re wholesome, nutritious and bursting with sweet blueberries. Soft and moist with hints of molasses, cinnamon and vanilla, one of these can keep you full for a few hours. This makes them a perfect breakfast or snack any time of the day. And once you see how easy they are to make, you’ll never think about buying them from the store again!
What Ingredients go in Blueberry Bran Muffins?
The ingredients used in these blueberry bran muffins are just pantry staples you might already have on hand. They are:
- All Purpose Flour
- Natural Wheat Bran
- Buttermilk
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Brown Sugar
- Molasses
- Eggs
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla
- Blueberries
Can I Use Regular Milk Instead of Buttermilk?
You definitely can. It is easy to make a buttermilk substitute if you don’t have actual buttermilk. Just add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Allow this to stand for 10 minutes and you will notice it curdle. This is a great substitute for buttermilk. Even if you bypass this step entirely and just use regular milk, your muffins will still turn out great. The acidity in buttermilk just adds a little lift to your muffins when baking.
Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour Instead of All Purpose?
Yes you can! This adds more nutrition to your muffins and I do it all the time. Simply swap out the entire amount of all purpose flour for the same amount of whole wheat flour. Your muffins will not turn out dense or tough at all. They will be moist and fluffy and even better for you.
Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?
Even though it’s better to use fresh blueberries in muffins, you can still use frozen if that’s what you have on hand. To use frozen blueberries, toss them (while frozen) in a little all purpose flour to coat them well. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom and bleeding out too much juice while baking. They will take a couple of minutes longer to bake, but your muffins will still turn out as delicious as if you had used fresh.
Tips for Making the Best Bakery Style Blueberry Bran Muffins
- Make sure your natural wheat bran is fresh. Because of its oils, natural wheat bran can go rancid if it’s been sitting in your pantry a long time. Before using it, simply give it a smell. You will know if it is rancid for sure.
- Use temperature ingredients. Using cold ingredients in your muffin batter can make it split. Furthermore they will not incorporate as well. As a result, the texture of your muffins can turn out uneven with grease spots throughout.
- Allow your better to rest for 20 minutes before scooping into the muffins cups. This hydrates the flour and bran further, so you will get a softer textured muffin.
- Fill the muffin cups very full. Go right to the top of the cups and even beyond. The batter will not overflow but instead will bake into a nice muffin top with that bakery style texture.
- Use 2 muffins pans and fill every other well. Having an empty space in every other filled muffin cup allows for more heat circulation. This makes your muffins rise like a rocket!
- Start in a very hot oven. Baking your muffins at 400F/190C then reducing the heat to 375F/190C will give your muffins an added boost when baking. This is a trick many bakeries do to get that perfect bakery style muffin top.
I hope you’ll give these bakery style blueberry bran muffins a try soon. You’ll love how tasty and convenient they are for those grab and go mornings. They will not only keep you sustained until lunch, they will keep you healthy and regular too! And if you do make them, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment about how they turned out for you!
Enjoy These Other Amazing Muffin Recipes!
- Best Blueberry Muffins
- Amazing One Bowl Sweet Potato Muffins
- Best Bran Muffins
- Best Cornmeal Muffins
- Best Oatmeal Muffins
Blueberry Bran Muffins
Equipment
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- 12 cup muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1½ cups natural wheat bran
- 1 cup buttermilk or regular milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉/204℃. Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin pan or line with muffin cups. (For larger muffins, use only 10 of the cups.)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the natural wheat bran and buttermilk. Allow to stand for 20-30 minutes.
- Add eggs, brown sugar, oil, molasses and vanilla. Mix well until smooth.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine the all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour if using), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add blueberries and toss to coat well. Add to wet mixture and stir together until just moistened. Do not overmix. OPTIONAL: Allow batter to rest for 20 minutes to hydrate before baking.
- Scoop batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. If you are only making 10 muffins, do not be afraid to fill them very well.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 400℉/204℃, then reduce oven to 375℉/190℃ and continue baking for another 14-16 minutes. Muffins should spring back when lightly pressed on the tops.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cool further on rack. Serve warm.