Wow, life has been crazy recently. One weekend involving two 8 hour drives (and two audiobooks), 3 days of feeling dead-to-the-world tired, several cups of tea, and 1 honey oat bran loaf later – I am back to reality. I don’t know about you guys, but I can smell Fall in the air outside. The crisp notes of cooler times coming our way, the hint of slightly wet leaves and grass, the tinge of something reminiscent of smoke in the air. I loooooove the Fall. And right now I am just aching inside for Fall festivals, pumpkin picking, and jumping around in piles of leaves.
That being said, if you’re a Fall lover like me, this loaf is one way to sneakily begin to celebrate the arrival of the season. It’s got the warm touch of Fall dishes, while still being enough like a regular loaf bread to be acceptable in the summer. And, along with it is the recipe for one of the easiest (and most delicious) things you can ever make: butter. Seriously, ten minutes, tops. And it’s sooo good. Plus, it’s actually kind of fun.
Grab a mug of cocoa (or lemonade, depending on your favorite season) and snuggle up on the couch to enjoy a slice of this loaf. It’s got a smooth glaze around it’s edges that will simply make your mouth water. If you come across good variations, changes, subtractions, or additions, let me know! I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Honey Oat Bran Muffins and Homemade Butter
Ingredients
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 1/2 tbsp boiling water
For the loaf:
- 1 1/2 cups raisins
- 1/2 cup water for boiling
- 1 tbsp dark rum
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 190g
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 cup honey
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1/6 cup vegetable oil
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup oat bran
For the butter:
- 4 cups heavy cream very cold (look for pasteurized, not ultra pasteurized, if possible)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- A large bowl of ice water
Instructions
For the glaze:
- Using a mixer, cream the butter and the sugars together until fluffy.
- Gradually (while still mixing) add in the honey, molasses, and water. Set aside in a small bowl. For the sake of not dirtying too many dishes, go ahead and wash out your mixing bowl to use in the next step. You can thank me later 🙂
For the muffins/loaf:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small saucepan, bring the water and raisins to a boil. Boil until most of the liquid is gone, about 4 minutes. Move the raisins and remaining water into a food processor or blender. Add in the rum, if using. Puree until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the raisin puree, honey, molasses, and oil, and mix until smooth.
- Gradually add in the egg and egg yolk, then buttermilk, and then the oat bran.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl and stir until moistened.
- Before filling the loaf or jumbo muffin pan, grease the inside of the pan, then brush the glaze you made previously generously along the inside of it.
- Fill the loaf pan with the batter. Brush some glaze over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 38 – 43 minutes, or until the middle part of the loaf sets.
- Let the loaf cool for 2 minutes, then invert onto a rack.
- Enjoy!
For the butter:
- Run the heavy cream and salt through a food processor, blender, or stand mixer on high until the solid butter is completely separate from the liquid (about 5 minutes total). About 2 minutes into the process, you will notice the processor will sound different (this is because the cream is becoming denser).
- Once it is separate, move the butter to a mesh sieve and drain the liquid. Reserve the liquid for another time – it’s uncultured buttermilk!
- Use your hands to knead and work out the remaining liquid from the solid butter. Gradually add the ice water to rinse the butter, and continue squeezing, kneading, and working the liquid out. Continue this process until the water runs clear.
- Store in an airtight glass container.
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