Bran Muffins

This recipe is another of my mom's classics. I remember sneaking into the freezer as a kid to eat these even frozen I like them so much! They're a fantastic recipe to make for big groups, as it makes 60 muffins. I often make this to bring camping for breakfasts for everyone. The uncooked mixed dough can also be kept in the fridge for up to 6 weeks (I know!), which means that you can mix up the whole batch and bake 6 or 12 at a time, depending on how big your family is. I usually tend to just cook up the whole batch and freeze them, though I have kept the dough in the fridge on occasion. The quantities of oil and sugar sound astounding, but keep in mind that it is spread out over 60 muffins.

These aren't typical bran muffins. Many people can't even recognize them as bran. And though I do like traditional bran muffins and also make them at times, this is a recipe that I really love. Perhaps it's quite related to childhood memories, as this is a recipe my mom used to make fairly often for us - it paid off, given that there were 6 in the family, these would actually stick around for awhile, unlike most recipes!
 
I usually just make my own buttermilk by adding 1 tbsp. of lemon juice per cup of regular milk and letting it stand for a few minutes. However, the recipe is better with buttermilk. I just usually don't have any on hand and can't be bothered going to get any. Today my husband happened to pick up the buttermilk at the grocery store. As they don't have it in France, he was curious as to what 'butter-milk' could possibly be. Which inspired me to whip up a batch of these.
 
2 1/2 C white sugar (I used 2 C)
1 tbsp. salt
5 1/2 C flour
5 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
1 quart (1 litre) buttermilk
1 1/2 C cooking oil
1 C raisins
2 C All Bran
3 C Bran Flakes



1. Mix buttermilk and baking soda together, then oil and beaten eggs.
 
2. Add dry ingredients.
 
3. Mix together and bake at 400 degrees Farenheit for 15-20 minutes.