Retro-Chic Bran Muffins

You might already know this, but I just got married.  In fact, this is our one week anniversary (R would roll his eyes very hard if he heard me calling it that) and I've barely mentioned it on this blog.  Sneakily, I had some posts automatically pop up for you while I was away.  And I have a post coming that deals much more explicitly with the wedding, and specifically with the cake I made.  But I have to gather pictures, and it's going to take some time.

So for now, I have a wonderful retro recipe for you, something my mother used to make us as children.  Bran muffins.  I'm not sure where this particular recipe came from, but my guess is that it has its origins in the dietary bran craze of the late 70's early 80's.  Being from the early 80's myself, I share a special bond with the bran muffin.  And just as I went through a phase of bangs hairsprayed into a tidal wave above my forehead, the bran muffin too often falls prey to trappings (like chocolate) that undermine its basic personality.  Well no more!  Here, you'll find only bran (from cereal, of course, that's what makes it retro), sugar, some oil, a couple of eggs, buttermilk and flour.  Oh, and raisins.  But bran and raisins go together like hot pink and teal. 

Retro-Chic Bran Muffins

3 cups 100% bran cereal

1 cup boiling water

3/4 cup sugar,

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped nuts, like walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Grease your muffin tin and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the bran cereal and the boiling water and let stand until cool.

In a larger bowl, mix together the sugar, the vegetable oil and the eggs.  Add the bran mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the bran mixture.  Fold in the raisins and the nuts, if using.

Pour the batter into the muffin tin, filling the cups 3/4 the way full.  Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 20 minutes.