Buttermilk Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

A good breakfast-on-the-go item

UPDATED 2019
Sunday is clean-out-the-refrigerator-day as Monday is garbage day here.  Now that the holidays are over, it was more urgent than usual to clean out the fridge. One of the items was a carton of buttermilk nearing its expiration date.

So, I looked for a recipe which would use 2 cups of buttermilk and found this one in my new cookbook which Tom gave me for Christmas.

I was surprised to see that you need to soak the oats in the buttermilk overnight.  Never done that before.  So, I was intrigued to see what would happen.

The result is a very moist interior and a well-browned crisp exterior, which Tom really liked. 

The only thing I would do differently next time is to add some lemon or orange zest.

---Barbara

Buttermilk Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
(adapted from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion)

Makes 12 large muffins

1 cup (3.5 ounces) quick-cooking or rolled oats
2 cups (16 ounces) buttermilk
1/2 cup (4 ounces) brown sugar
4 T. (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter, melted
1 large egg
1 t. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 ounces) raisins
Grated lemon or orange rind, about 1-2 T. (optional)

Soak the oats and buttermilk, covered and refrigerated, overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Grease or spray with butter-flavored PAM a 12 muffin cup pan. (Note:  don't use paper liners or the muffins will stick.)

In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk and oat mixture, brown sugar, butter, egg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Gently stir in the flour and the raisins.  Do not over-mix.

Scoop into 12 even amounts in muffin pan, and bake for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.  Do not overbake.

Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes on a rack, then turn out of the pan to finish cooling.

B