Fat-Free Bran Muffins

Most fat-free baked goods come out tasting like cardboard. These bran muffins are the exception, and the workarounds are clever. Unsweetened applesauce stands in for the usual butter or oil, while molasses brings deep, dark sweetness that takes the place of refined sugar and keeps the muffins from tasting one-note.

The ten-minute bran soak in buttermilk is the move that makes these tender instead of gritty. Bran is essentially the outer hull of wheat and it stays harsh and dry unless given time to absorb moisture. Skip the soak and you get crunchy, fibrous muffins; do the soak and you get the soft, slightly chewy texture you actually want.

Whole-wheat flour plus bran is a high-fiber double whammy, giving these muffins serious nutritional weight. The egg whites bind everything without adding cholesterol, and three of them provide enough structure to keep the muffins from collapsing.

The 15-stroke mixing rule isn’t a suggestion. Whole wheat develops gluten fast, and over-mixed batter produces tough, tunneled muffins. Fold just until no dry flour remains, then stop.

These keep poorly. They go stale in a day. Eat them fresh or freeze immediately after cooling.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the bran called for, not bran cereal. Cereal contains added sugar and changes the texture.
• Spritz the muffin tins generously with nonstick spray. Fat-free batters love to weld to the pan.
• Test for doneness with a toothpick. It should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.

Variations

• Stir in 2 tablespoons of flax seed or chia for extra fiber and omega-3s.
• Replace half the raisins with chopped dried apricots or dates.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the dry ingredients.