On 2006-01-11, KD > wrote:
> Greetings folks:
>
> I have a recipe for bran muffins that my mom has made for years.
> They're a nice moist and tasty muffin, but I'm trying to make them a
> bit more healthy - mostly in the direction of less sugar and more
> fibre. Not sure if I can reduce the fat in them or not.
>
> I don't have the recipe itself with me, this is just the ingredients
> off the top of my head. The recipe is for a rather big batch, the idea
> is you make up this giant bowl of muffin mix and keep it in your
> fridge, baking it as you require.
>
> It has three cups of sugar (1.5 white, 1.5 brown), five cups whole
> wheat flour, a quart of buttermilk, a couple of cups of All Bran cereal
> (mixed with a cup or two of boiling water, and left to cool first), a
> couple of cups of Bran Flakes, a cup of shortening, some baking soda
> and salt, and raisins.
>
> The last time I made them, I replaced one cup of flour with ground
> flaxseed, and reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup. They still came out tasting
> great with the same moist texture, so I'm thinking of reducing the
> sugar by a further half cup next time around. Any other suggestions for
> increasing fibre?

That sounds like it already has plenty of fiber, but reducing the
sugar could definitely make it healthier. Reducing sugar will tend to
make them less moist and tender, though, and there's really no
substitute in that regard. You can try date sugar, which is just
ground dehydrated whole dates -- that's a form of sugar that includes
fiber and other nutrients, since it's the whole fruit. It also has a
nice flavor. It behaves like brown sugar in recipes. You can also
try adding fruit purée, like applesauce or mashed bananas. You'll
need to reduce the liquid a bit.

Beyond that, just keep testing with reduced sugar amounts until you
find the minimum amount of sugar that gives you an acceptable texture,
then quit worrying and enjoy your muffin!

You should also consider the health effects of that cup of shortening,
though -- assuming it's made with hydrogenated oils, then the trans
fats might be doing you much more harm than the sugar. Try using
liquid vegetable oil (canola oil, in particular) instead, or else one
of the non-hydrogenated shortenings from health food stores (mostly
made with palm kernel oil, which is probably better than trans fats
but still pretty bad for your heart) or just good old fashioned
butter. But this recipe should work well with oil or a mix of oil and
a little butter, especially if there's some applesauce in there.

--
Randall