Inspired by Millie’s master muffin recipe, and because I have a need for a good soaked basic muffin recipe, I joined Millie in tweaking and playing with muffins. And I think I’ve got a good, basic muffin recipe now! I wrote yesterday in the Tuesday Twister about my first two attempts. I took what didn’t work from those batches and tweaked to get to where I am now – and boy, does it feel (no, taste) good! Thank you, Millie, for your great example, pioneering spirit, and inspiration. 
My favorite muffin spice is ginger. In these muffins, it tastes a little bit lemony. So I think adding some poppy seeds to the soaking would be a really nice addition. I’m going to try that next time.
Soaking grains is very important – the step of soaking neutralizes the phytic acid, which, if left unchecked, would block mineral absorption. You might also be interested in the Basic Sprouted Muffin, which uses sprouted flour. Sprouted flour offers the benefit of phytic acid being neutralized, but it also offers additional benefits: it digests like a vegetable, and certain vitamin levels are increased.
Makes 1 dozen muffins
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar or Kombucha
- 1 cup raw milk
- 2 local, pastured eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or Sucanat or other solid natural sweetener (powder in food processor if coarse)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup virgin, unrefined coconut oil (melted if solid at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
Spices of your choice: (I like…)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Add-ins of your choice: (I like…)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped crispy nuts (soaked, then dehydrated ala Nourishing Traditions style)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup shredded zucchini, apple, or carrot (additional moisture may require additional cooking time)
In mixing bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, apple cider vinegar (or Kombucha), and milk. Cover and let soak overnight, up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sweetener, and vanilla. While whisking (to avoid cooking the eggs if the coconut oil is on the warm side), add in the coconut oil. Whisk until smooth.
Add salt, baking powder, and spices to the wet ingredients. Whisk fully.
Add wet ingredients to the soaked flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Add add-ins and mix to incorporate.
Fill oiled muffin tin, or paper-lined muffin tin, with the batter to a generous three-quarters full each.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and muffins are gently browned.
Take out of oven and transfer muffins to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container when fully cooled.
The Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides is coming up on Thursday, November 19 – think about what Thanksgiving side dish you’d like to contribute!
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, this week hosted by Cheeseslave.
I’m definitely going to try it. Soon.
I have the Nourishing Traditions book. I’ll have to look up why you want to soak and they dehydrate the nuts. Do you have to have nuts in the muffin? I have everything, but the coconut oil.
Michelle´s last blog post… Awesome Cells!
Michelle – the nuts are just optional – you add whatever add-ins you want. Nuts, raw (as-is), contain enzyme inhibitors – the process of soaking neutralizes those inhibitors (when germination begins). Then dehydrating the nuts gets them back to that crispy stage you need for chopping, snacking, etc. If you soak them in salt water they taste really good, too!
Michelle – also, you can use butter for the oil.
Thanks Wardeh.
Michelle´s last blog post… Awesome Cells!
Looks like a fantastic recipe! I’ve actually been looking for an easy soaked muffin recipe with low sugar and coconut oil. Thanks.
Maria´s last blog post… Beach Vacation
Maria – The amount of sugar is flexible – Millie only uses 2 tablespoons. With 1/2 cup, these are still sweet. The sweetener could be lowered to 1/4 or 1/3 cup easily.
Wardeh, these muffins look really good and sound delicious! Where do you get your whole wheat pastry flour?
Love, Sonya
Sonya Hemmings´s last blog post… On My Plate: Birthday Cakes
Sonya – In the past, I have purchased from health food stores’ bulk bins. But usually (like this time) I grind my own *soft* wheat berries.
Yum! I’ve made soaked muffins before but these look better than anything I’ve tried.
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Leah – hope you enjoy! I’m licking my lips right now – just ate one!
This looks great… I might just have to try it out soon myself! Thanks
Alyss´s last blog post… Nothing Says Lovin’ Like Something From the Crockpot
Tried these today and they were delicious! This recipe is a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
[...] Soaked Muffins: Everything went alright until these. Because I had to soak the whole wheat pastry flour, rolled oats, raw milk, and apple cider vinegar (or Kombucha), I got mixed up with using two bowls (one for the eggs and Rapadura, one for the spices and flour — basically one for liquids and one for solids). I mean, the oats and wheat have vinegar and milk with them, so I just dump the eggs and Rapadura in with them, right? Anyway, Mom came over and set it all straight — like moms always do! [...]
If all I have is hard white wheat berries what should I change about this recipe? That is the only kind of wheat I buy and I buy it in huge quantities, so I like to stick with it for all my baking if possible.
Kim, you wouldn’t change much. Perhaps you would use 1/8 cup less flour (2 T). Or you can add a bit more milk at the end if the batter is too thick. Other than that… the same! Please let me know how it goes!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe as I’m still seeking for the perfect soaked muffin! What do you think about using kefir or yogurt rather than the milk/vinegar – is that something you already experimented with?
Susanna – I think that would work. I just started a batch like that this morning and can tell you later how it goes. I used 1 cup of kefir and omitted the apple cider vinegar. It might be too thick depending on the thickness of the kefir, but it is easy to add more liquid when mixing up the batter.
Great – definitely let me know how they turn out as compared to when you use the milk/vinegar. Thanks!!
Susanna – The consistency was perfect. In fact, no difference at all. The only difference was that because the kefir is sour and the raw milk is not, these muffins ended up needing a bit more sweet. When I do this again, I’ll add 2/3 cup of sweetener, perhaps a scant 2/3 cup. Enjoy!
[...] Soaked Muffins – I tested out making my basic soaked muffins using kefir for the soaking instead of raw milk plus an acid. The consistency didn’t change a bit, even with our kefir being a little on the thick side. However, the kefir is sour while the raw milk is sweet, so overall the muffins tasted like they were barely sweetened. Next time, I’ll up the Rapadura to 2/3 cup (instead of 1/2 cup) when using kefir for soaking. [...]
I’m allergic to cow dairy – can I still make these muffins? I was planning on using store-bought hemp milk…do you know if this is okay to leave out at room temp? Should I just make my own raw nut/seed milk and use that? Or can I just use water? Or yogurt (I buy the goat version)? And to make a long story short, I don’t do goat milk. What are my options?
Thanks!
Vanessa – Use any milk or water – it’ll all be fine sitting out at room temp. Make sure to use the acid (apple cider vinegar or Kombucha). Enjoy!
[...] been wanting to try Wardeh’s Basic Soaked Muffins for awhile, and I finally got around to making her version (using soft white wheat) as well as a [...]
Hi there- are the oats soaked at all?
Hi, Jessica – Yes, the oats are soaked along with the whole wheat pastry flour.
Could I use lemon juice for the acid?? My ACV didn’t come in our co-op shipment this month.
Anjanette´s last blog post… Split Pea and Sausage Dahl
Anjanette – Definitely! You could also use whey, yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk, as long as they have active cultures.
I just wanted to leave a follow-up comment that this recipe was fantastic! I soaked with a combo of kefir/yogurt and added a bit of water (to replace the vinegar liquid). Also, I upped the sucanat slightly as you suggested. They were so delicious and were great the first and second day. The ones I froze (immediately) were a bit crumbly when we used them, so I won’t be making tons to freeze, but will definitely use this recipe again! Also, doubling it and using the Bosch to mix is much easier than stirring by hand. My kids watched your muffin tutorial yesterday and loved it.
Susanna – Cool! I’m glad you liked it.
[...] sweeter than sugar) and use melted coconut oil or butter for the fat. I like GNOWFGLINS Basic Soaked Muffins because I can start them at night and have minimal prep to do in the morning for a delicious muffin [...]
I made the muffins tonight and they are delicious. However, I have a few questions.
I purchased coconut oil in solid form. I measured 1/2 a cup of solid coconut oil in a dry measuring cup and melted the oil as the recipe instructs before adding it to the egg/sugar mixture. When I measured the melted oil it was over 1/2 a cup (between 1/2 and 2/3). I placed all of the melted coconut oil to the egg/sugar mixture. Is that correct?
I am attempting to eat more nutrient dense foods (such as these muffins). However, I am working on reducing my weight by 30 pounds so my calorie intake is also important. How many calories are in one muffin with no add-ins?
Thanks for your help.
Nancy – I measure mine in solid form and then melt it. So you did it just right – I never measure it when it is melted. However, it is flexible – so you would have been fine regardless.
As to the calories, I do not know. I never count calories. You could probably find an online calculator – input the ingredients and divide the total calorie count by 12 (if you yielded 12 muffins?).
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
These were wonderful! My whole family loved them. Thanks!
[...] them up that made me believe they had missed them even more than me! I used the method detailed by GNOWFGLINS – doubled, and I used ginger and coconut in them. Everyone was thrilled, they were moist, [...]
Nancy – I put all of the ingredients into my calorie counter software (I too am looking to shed a few pounds!) and making 12 muffins, they came out to:
206 calories each
11g fat (8g saturated)
25g carbs (3g fiber)
5g protein
I’ve got my flour soaking now…. can’t wait to bake the muffins (and eat them!)
Shelly @ EpicOrganic.net´s last blog post… Getting Ready for Muffin Goodness
[...] discovered the most perfect muffins ever, thanks to GNOWFGLINS! I mentioned last night that I was soaking some whole wheat flour in preparation of baking these [...]
I’m making my first batch of muffins and am so excited about it. My question is, can I use raw honey or a combination of honey and maple syrup for the sweetener? How about stevia?
Thank you so much for all you do!
I did a combination of maple syrup and honey to equal 1/2 cup. I cut down the coconut oil just a bit and baked them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. They were so moist and wonderful! I’ve never had that happen with a whole grain muffin. Must be the soaking. I’m very pleased. I’m purchasing rapadura with my hubby’s next check. Oh and I just used water (since we aren’t yet able to get raw milk) and acv. Thanks!
[...] out on a limb and try to come up with a suitable tradition foods offering for the events I go to. Soaked muffins generally go over pretty well for brunches, and I have also taken plain yogurt mixed with fresh [...]
[...] Once again, no need for lunch… though we did snack on soaked muffins. [...]
[...] as a recipe for “Basic Soaked Muffins”. I highly recommend that you visit the post at Gnowfglins. The original recipe is there with many options for many types of muffins and she has a video that [...]
These are amazing! Thank you so much!
[...] and looked for ways to incorporate the fruit into some of the recipes I make regularly. Enter the Basic Soaked Muffins I learned to make from my friend Wardeh Harmon, who shares the recipe on her blog [...]
[...] breakfast. Just don’t cook it! Let it melt over warm food, such as toasted English muffins, sweet soaked muffins, pancakes, waffles, scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, or hashbrowns. What other ways are there to eat [...]
[...] Basic Soaked Muffins – from Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS A great basic recipe. Can make many different ways. We like it with raspberries and coconut (hmm, I guess we like that combination). [...]