California Golden Raisin Muffins

The first time that I made these, I gave some to my neighbors. They went nuts over these muffins—and announced far and wide that these were the best muffins that they had ever had. I don’t know about that but they are very good, one of our favorite muffins.


We included these muffins in this section because of the flours. The recipe calls for a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat or rye flours. If you choose rye— without any gluten in the rye flour, you’ll have an unbelievably tender muffin. If you use dark rye, you’ll have a rustic, fruity muffin. If you choose white rye, it will be a much more refined muffin. (Most of the time, I’ll prefer the white.)

The golden raisins, orange, and cinnamon make for a very nice complement of flavors and flavors that seem just right for a sunshiny morning. We use the giant golden raisins that we sell at The Prepared Pantry; they seem milder, sweeter, and plumper than most.
  
Ingredients :
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rye flour, all-purpose flour, or whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
4 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


Instructions :
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease 1 regular-sized 12-muffin tin.

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir in the grated orange peel.

2. Use a pastry knife to cut the butter into the dry ingredients and continue cutting until the mixture is coarse and uniform.

3. In another bowl, stir together the orange juice, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and eggs. Form a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Add the raisins. Stir to combine. (Do not over-stir. Some lumps are acceptable.) Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on the tops of the muffins.

4. Spoon the batter into muffin tin. Quickly place the muffins in the oven and reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Let bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins sit for three to five minutes in the pan and then remove them to a rack to cool.

Baker’s note: The initial burst of heat in the hot oven will help the muffins dome. How quickly the muffins bake will depend somewhat on how well your particular oven retains heat.