Nostalgic Banana Bran Muffin
I was a grade 7 student when I moved to Canada many years ago. One of the more memorable experiences at junior high was taking Home Economics class. For those who are not familiar with the Canadian (or perhaps North American) school curriculum, Home Economics is the class which we learn to sew and cook. We started off with really basic stuff such as doing dishes (you have to know how to clean up before you can cook!) and cooking eggs (how to avoid a black ring in hardboil eggs; is the egg safe to eat if there’s a spot of blood; etc). Eventually we moved on to more complicated things such as baking.
In our muffin class, our class was divided into five groups with each group making a different recipe. My group made banana bran muffin. It was the first time that I learned about the deliciousness of slathering butter on freshly baked muffins. In fact, I enjoyed those muffins so much that for several months, I made them many more times since. My family can attest to that.
Fast forward to 2008 and I was suddenly struck by the nostalgia of those very delicious muffins. I rummaged through my recipe files and actually found that yellowed course notes page with relative ease. However, now that I am much more knowledgable and discerning when it comes to baked goods, I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief at the recipe. All the measurements were given in metric volume (250mL of flour)? Corn syrup as the main sweetener? Milk and vinegar (how about buttermilk instead)?
Despite its "flaws", I still have a soft spot for banana bran muffin so I updated and adapted this treasured recipe. One muffin served with butter and nostalgia please!
Ingredients
- 130g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 60g bran
- 2 large ripe banana, mashed
- 1 large egg
- 75mL vegetable oil
- 60mL honey
- 125mL low fat yogurt
Method
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a dozen-size muffin pan.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Combine all the wet ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined.
- Divide batter to the muffin pan. Bake for 15-20min. Makes one dozen muffins.
