Sugar free Sour Milk and Bran Muffins

While most people think it is essential to include milk and sugar in muffin recipes, an excellent alternative is to use thick sour milk or buttermilk. If your reason for not using sugar is anything other than losing weight or keeping trim, then you can also use sour cream. However, if you decide to use sour cream for your sugar free sour milk and bran muffins, then reduce the amount of butter or other shortening used.

Because raisins are included in this delicious sugar free muffin recipe, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, or bicarb) is used to counteract or neutralize the acidity. Baking soda also helps dough to rise, so be extra careful not to overfill your muffin tins.

These ingredients will make about ten large muffins.

Sugar free Sour Milk and Bran Muffins Ingredients:

• 1 cup self raising flour
• 2 cups bran
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 tablespoon of Xylitol
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup of sour milk
• 4 tablespoons butter or other shortening, melted and then cooled
• 2 tablespoons honey or molasses (optional)
• ½ cup seedless raisins

Method

You will need a moderate oven to cook your sugar free sour milk and bran muffins. It should be preheated to 200 °C and up-to-temperature before you put the muffin tins into the oven.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and Xylitol together. Add the bran.

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Measure out the sour milk and add the soda to it. Also add the melted butter that should be reasonably cool by now. Stir into the egg, and then add to the dry ingredients in the bowl. Stir in the raisins and then the honey, if you are using it.

Grease the muffin tin with a little shortening. An easy way to do this is to melt a little bit of butter and then use a clean, dry paintbrush or pastry brush to brush it onto the inside look at, Is Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan) a Healing Art, a Martial Art, or Both? of the tin. Half fill each section of the muffin tin and pop into the oven. Bake for between 20 and 25 minutes. You can test whether they are done after 20 minutes by pushing a skewer into one of the sugar free sour milk and bran muffins.