Applesauce-Oat Muffins, with Dried Fruit

Apple cultivars at supermarket

By Cat, Feb 2008 (Photo, right, cropped from Wikimedia Commons)

See also: 1. Breads & Muffins Menu; 2. Grains, Flours & Starches (About) Menu; 3. Crumb or Nut-Crumble Topping for Muffins; 4. Sprouting/Soaking Grains (Before/After Grinding); 5. Sugar and Other Sweeteners Menu

I discovered this recipe before I learned I have a food sensitivity to oats, that causes a lot of intestinal pain. Thus I’ve not yet tested this, and if I do, I’ll use wheat or spelt rather than oat.

Applesauce is known for making quick breads nicely moist, not to mention the nice sweet flavor it provides.

Applesauce-Oat Muffins

This is adapted from a recipe on West Soy Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk. I don’t normally use soy, so have adapted this to use dairy milk and whole grain (rather than whole soy) flour, and to presoak the flour with diluted yogurt. I also don’t use canola oil, preferring coconut oil or butter.

I’m puzzled why the original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp baking powder.  Anyway, I’ve modified to 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda, the latter because the presoaked mixture is acidic but I think its too much leavening. Only testing will resolve this.

Makes 12 – 14 muffins.

I’ve not yet tested this adaptation. Ingredient amounts in red need to be verified by testing.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• Presoak:
• 1 ½ cups whole grain flour
• ¾ cup freshly rolled oats or other rolled grain such as spelt
• 1 Tbsp yogurt plus boiling water to make ½ cup
• ½ cup whole milk
• Next day, Dry Ingredients:
• ½ cup Rapadura sugar (or ¼ tsp stevia extract powder plus 1 Tbsp Grade-B maple syrup)
• ½ cup unbleached white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder (see Baking Soda & Baking Powder for substitution and theory)
• 1 tsp baking soda (see Baking Soda & Baking Powder for substitution and theory)
• 1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp unrefined sea salt
• Wet Ingredients
• 2 eggs
• 1¼ cup melted coconut oil or butter
• ½ cup unsweetened, homemade applesauce
• ½ cup raisins or other dried fruit.
• Equipment:
• Small and medium mixing bowls,
• Wooden spoon
• Egg beater or whisk
• muffin pan(s) for 12 muffins

Method

1. Presoak: Stir boiling water into yogurt to make ½ cup; let cool a bit then add milk.
2. Combine flour and oats together in large bowl, then stir in yogurt mixture, until it will form a ball.  Cover ball with waxed paper and let sit at room temperature overnight.
3. Next Day: Prepare batter. Grease 12 muffin cups, or fill with muffin papers.  Preheat oven to 400°F.
4. Sift unbleached flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices, plus stevia, if using, into small bowl.  Dredge dried fruit in this mixture; set aside.
5. Beat eggs with a fork in small bowl, mix in sugar (if using) or maple syrup, then add oil and applesauce, and mix well.
6. Add combined wet ingredients to soaked grains, and stir a bit to incorporate most of the liquid into the flour, then stir in dredged ingredients until just mixed.  Do not over-mix.
7. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, each ¾ full.  Bake in preheated oven for 13 – 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
8. Cool in pan on rack for about 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

References

1. West Soy Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk recipe (no link available)