Soft, hearty, and lightly sweet, these whole wheat bran muffins are made with freshly milled flour for a simple, wholesome breakfast the whole family can enjoy year round.

whole wheat bran muffins in a green and white floral apron

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A Simple, Old Fashioned Breakfast

The more I mill our own flour, the more I find myself appreciating the simple, old-fashioned recipes that make good use of the whole grain. And a warm pan of bran muffins feels just about perfect for that.

These whole wheat bran muffins are hearty without being heavy, lightly sweet, and soft enough that you still get that lovely tender muffin crumb. Made with freshly milled wheat, they have all the goodness and flavor of the whole grain tucked into a breakfast that feels like old times.

They’re especially good warm from the oven, tucked into a basket on the table for everyone to grab as they wander into the kitchen in the morning. I like mine with a hot cup of percolated coffee. Just a simple, everyday muffin made from good ingredients and meant for real life.

Now don’t feel left out if you do not mill your own flour. While this was a find for when I sift bran out of my freshly milled flour, these can be made with whatever you have on hand, as long as you have the bran which you can also buy. Swap out the liquid sweetner, sugars, and flour to all purpose from the store or fresh milled in your own home! There’s plenty of wiggle room for everyone’s liking. Using my sifted blend or an all purpose flour from the store will remove the “whole wheat” aspect of this but that’s just alright. The bran gives a nutritional boost and the muffins will be just as delicious!

Whole Wheat Bran Muffins Video(s)

Whole Wheat Bran Muffins Tools

Muffin Trays

Grain Mill (Optional, see step 1)

60 Mesh Sieve (Optional, see step 1)

Whole Wheat Bran Muffins Ingredients

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup molasses, maple syrup, honey, date syrup
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup yogurt is great too!)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
2 cups all purpose flour (I use an all purpose blend of fresh milled flour, so it’s technically whole grain all purpose)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

How To Make Whole Wheat Bran Muffins

Mill 2/3 cup (140 grams) of hard white wheat berries and 2/3 cup (140 grams) of soft white wheat berries, if you are milling your own. Otherwise, skip this step. If you want to read about my all purpose flour blend, sifted or unsifted, read about it here for what I am using. This is a great alternative to store bought flour because you can achieve the whole grain or the traditional all purpose flour like texture, whichever you prefer, with much more nutritional gain!
Combine melted butter, sugar, eggs, liquid sweetener of choice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add in flour and wheat bran and carefully mix to combine.
Add in salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix to just combined.
Let soak for 5-30 minutes to have the bran and flour absorb the liquid.
Fill muffin tins most of the way, I use about 1/4 cup of batter per cup for a regular size muffin tray.
Bake at 400 degrees fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Adjust To The Seasons

This recipe could easily be altered for the seasons. Now of course the flavors would just be slightly lighter or deeper depending on this but still slight adjustments give a fresh take on the same recipe each season, especially a classic one.

Winter: For the liquid sweetner, opt for molasses and add similar spices to a gingerbread or molasses cookie. Keep the brown sugar and once cooled, dip in melted butter and sprinkle sugar over the top for a special little addition. Pair with flavors like cranberry and orange.

Spring: For the liquid sweetener, opt for an early or late spring harvested honey. It is a very light golden color and has a more floral flavor. Opt for white sugar instead of brown. A nice honey glaze on top would be lovely or dip i in honey for a real treat. Pair with flavors of lavendar, rhubarb or berries.

Summer: For the liquid sweetener, opt for a late summer harvested honey, it has a deeper color and much deeper richer flavor while still feeling like summer. Opt for white sugar instead of brown. Pair with flavors like lemon, cherry and melon. Would be delicious dipped in honey or covered in a honey glaze.

Fall: For the liquid sweetner opt for maple syrup and keep the brown sugar. Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or even an apple pie or pumpkin spice blend. Once cooled, dip in melted butter and sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar. Pair with flavors like apple or pumpkin or even plum, or just dip back into maple syrup.

Do you use whole grain/whole wheat flour in bran muffins or all purpose?

You can use either! 2 cups of whatever flour you choose. I use whole grain that I mill myself for the nutrition and heartiness but if you want to lighten the muffins up, you can sub it for plain flour. I have a sifted all purpose flour recipe for those who mill their own grains but want something closer to what’s on the grocery store shelves. This is great in this recipe, or leave the same blend unsifted to get the extra nutrients! I will add that even with all that bran and the whole wheat, these are still really fluffy inside and not dense!