BBD13: 100% Whole Grain Breads

My next-door neighbor has the burden of receiving many of my baked goods. It’s a burden that she apparently doesn’t mind. Actually, we’ve evolved into a comfortable, reciprocal relationship, sharing ingredients and meals. Recently, she and her 10 year old son decided to bake some muffins, using a recipe that was included in a novel she had just finished reading. They brought some over and asked for feedback, so, after tasting them, we talked about what we liked and didn’t like about them. My neighbor thought the orange and coconut was too overpowering, and while I thought the flavors were prominent, they were fine.

It turns out, though, that these muffins fulfilled a basic requirement for one of my monthly baking events, so I decided to bake some myself for August’s Bread Baking Day 13. I made a few slight adjustments to the recipe, and even though both sets of muffins were tasty, they each had their own distinct flavor. Because I used unsweetened coconut, the muffins weren’t overly sweet to me, which was a good thing. I also felt the flavors were well balanced. Yesterday I gave one to my neighbor and asked for her feedback on my rendition. When I find out what she thinks, I will add it to this post.

Meanwhile, here’s the recipe for some delicious muffins, just in time for BBD13, 100% Whole Grains, hosted this month by Jude of Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté.

Dakota’s oatmeal, blueberry & orange muffins

1 cup plain rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

t teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda, and salt

1 ½ cups flaked sweet coconut (I use unsweetened coconut)**

grated rind of one large orange (I used clementines from my tree for rind & juice)

1 egg

½ cup honey

3 tablespoons oil (canola or extra light olive oil, for example)

1 tablespoon vinegar (I used cider vinegar)

juice of 1 orange, with added water to make 1 cup of liquid

1 to 1 ¼ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a muffin tin with paper cups.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut and orange rind .

In a separate bowl, beat the egg, then incorporate the honey, oil, vinegar, juice, and water.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Fold in the blueberries.

Pour batter into the muffin cups. (Batter will be thin.)

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

You can find the recipe in The Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs.

Thanks, also, to Zorra (1x umrühren bitte aka kochtopf) for creating one of my favorite events.

**I don't particularly care for heavily sweetened coconut (in candy? never), but I do like fresh coconut and unsweetened coconut. That's why I keep a supply in the freezer and will use it in place of the ultra sweet stuff.