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Oat Bran Muffins have the
nutty flavors of oat bran and whole wheat flour, enhanced by brown sugar,
vanilla, cinnamon, molasses, orange zest and raisins. This is the muffin I
make when I have a real hunger that only a food rich in fiber will
satisfy. Oat Bran Muffins contain both an insoluble fiber (whole wheat flour) and
a soluble fiber (oat bran) which gives you that wonderful full feeling. And
yet, these muffins are low in fat, just two tablespoons of canola oil
for 12 muffins, so you can eat more than one and not feel guilty.
As I am sure you know, there are two types of bran muffins, wheat and
oat. Both types of bran are high in fiber and minerals and both come from
the outer casing of a grain, only wheat bran comes from the wheat berry,
and oat bran is from the oat. In the past
wheat bran muffins were the most popular, that was until the health
benefits of oat bran (said to reduce blood cholesterol) started being
talked about more and more. I like both wheat and oat bran muffins, and
often have both on hand. You may want to try these low fat
Blueberry Wheat Bran Muffins, or
these Wheat Bran Muffins, that allow you to
store the batter in the refrigerator for a few days so you can make
muffins on demand. Oat Bran Muffins are simple to make. It will only
take about ten minutes to get the muffins into the oven. The wet
ingredients are placed in one bowl, the dry ingredients in another. The
wet ingredients include the choice of using either molasses or honey. Both
have a soft and sticky texture which makes the muffins moist and tender,
but molasses has a more robust flavor than the mild flavor of honey. Don't
be surprised that when you mix the wet and dry ingredients together the
batter is very thin which will cause the raisins to sink to the bottom of
the muffins when baked.
A few notes on ingredients. If you are unfamiliar with whole
wheat flour it is flour that is milled from the entire whole wheat berry, so it still
contains its bran (fiber) and its germ (rich in oil, protein, iron and
vitamins). This makes it rich in fiber and it also has a nutty toasted
flavor. Oat Bran
is the outer casing of the oat and, as I said above, is high in soluble
fiber. When buying oat bran, make sure it is labeled
"100% oat bran" with no other ingredients added. It is now readily available in most grocery stores,
often located either on the cereal isle, along with the rolled oats, or
in the organic food section. Another place you can find it is in health food stores.
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