Blue Sky Bakery Bran Muffins

Photo Courtesy: http://www.lindaandharriett.blogspot.com

Blue Sky Bakery.

Brookyln, NY. Park Slope to be exact. 5th Avenue between St. Marks and Bergen to be really exact. And about one block from my apartment above that noisy Cuban place to be even more really exact.

The coffee was really good – and strong. Iced in the summer and hot in the winter.

But I didn’t go there for the coffee.

Photo Courtesy: The New York Times

I went there for the muffins. The bran muffins filled with an endless variety of fruity concoctions.

There are plenty of things I miss about living in Brooklyn and working in New York City. But for the most part I miss those muffins. I’m not alone in saying that they’re probably some of the very best muffins around.

Seriously, Google it.

“Blue Sky Bakery, Brooklyn NY”

You’ll find yourself plenty of 5 star reviews and people saying things like:
“I don’t like muffins, but I love these muffins.”
“Best muffins ever”
“So delicious I could cry”
And finally…
“I usually only like a muffin top, but these are good on the top and on bottom”
You see these muffins turn even a strict top, into a bottom too! Make of that what you will 😉

I left Brooklyn about four years ago and for about that long I’ve been searching the entire WORLD WIDE WEB for “Blue Sky Bakery, Brooklyn NY Bran Muffin RECIPE.”

Nothing.

I even called the place. And left a message. Not a text message people… an actual voice message. Begging for the recipe.

Nothing.

But then last week I gave the old Google another try and Voila! There it was! Google Books hooked me up! Or I guess the cookbook “Table of Contents: From Breakfast with Anita Diamant to Dessert with James Patterson” hooked me up. Because they had the recipe, courtesy of Blue Sky Bakery – for none other than my beloved muffin.

I’ve made bran muffins before, and they were no doubt good. But they were not these.

Blue Sky Bakery’s Bran Muffins

I made these last weekend and they were every bit as delicious as if they were eaten fresh from Blue Sky Bakery with a small to-go coffee, right of a the brown paper bag while strolling along 5th avenue.

Although I think they were even better last weekend because they were fresh from my oven, eaten on a small rose-glass plate, paired with coffee from my little stove-top Bialetti and I was eating them with my most wonderful Sweets in our cozy home. And it was Sunday and I love Sundays.

And on a tad less romantic note, these muffins are some serious movers if you know what I mean.  My friend Amanda has dubbed them Colon Cleansers Muffins – just a little tit-for-tat.

OK, OK enough mushy stuff. Now to the muffins.

• 2 and 2/3 c buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 c extra virgin olive oil (the original recipe calls for vegetable oil so you can use that too, although I try to stay away from veggie oil)
• 3 c. wheat bran
• 2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1/2 c. dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp granulated sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 – 2 cup fruit

Cookbook Authors Note: You can add almost any fruit to these muffins as long as it’s unsweetened and fairly dry (no citrus or pineapple).  Blueberries, raspberries, apples and bananas or any combos of these work well.  You can use either fresh or frozen berries.  For apples, core, peel and dice the fruit.  For bananas, peel and dice.  Maggie’s note:  I used fresh blueberries and raspberries and they were the shit.

Preheat oven to 425 and coat muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.

Mix buttermilk, eggs and oil in a medium bowl.

In seperate bowl combine wheat bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and salt.

Pour wet mixture into dry one and mix until just combined.

Place about 2 tbsp of batter in each muffin tin (the batter will expand to fill about 1/2 the cup).  Place a generous layer of fruit  (about 2 heaping teaspoons) into each cup.  Measure 2 tsp of the sugar in a small bowl, taking pinches with your fingers, sprinkle the sugar over the fruit.  Divide remaining batter evenly among the muffin cups.  Place remaining 2 tspn of sugar into bowl and pinch and sprinkle the sugar over the top!

Bake for 5 minutes.  Rotate muffin tins front to bake to ensure even cooking and bake for another 11-13 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it.  Do NOT overbake.

Cook on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tin.

And finally serve warm.  If it’s warm outside, with iced-coffee and if it’s cold with hot coffee.