Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Ingredients used

This recipe is simple and you'll need only a few pantry ingredients:

• Whole grain flour. I use it all the time for baking. It's a healthier, more nutritious option than all-purpose flour. Whole grain flour is packed with fibers and makes desserts more nutritious. In this recipe, I used whole grain Spelt flour but you can use wheat whole grain flour here. It also gave a quite rustic taste.
• Baking soda.
• Butter. I used grass-fed organic unsalted.
• Buttermilk. You can use yogurt or sour cream.
• Sweetener. I used maple syrup, but you can use honey here.

What makes these muffins so special are added sweet raisins and caraway seeds. Other ingredients you'll need:

• Egg.
• Pinch of salt.
• Baking powder.

How to make Irish Soda Bread Muffins

This whole grain soda bread muffin recipe is quite easy. Preparation takes no more than 5 minutes. The rest is baking time, and for that, you will only need patience.

Equipment used

• Measuring cups.
• Mixing bowls.
• Whisk.
• Spatula.
• 12-cup muffin tin.
• Muffin liners.

Step by step instructions

• Step 1: Prepare the ingredients.
  • Start with preparing and measuring all the ingredients. Use measuring cups.
  • Melt the butter in microweavel and let it cool on a room temperature.
  • Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
  • Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray or line with muffin liners.
• Step 2: Mix dry ingredinets.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and soda.
  • Use the spoon or a whisk. Set aside.
• Step 3: Mix wet ingredients.
  • In a separate large bowl whisk the egg with butter, maple syrup and buttermilk.
  • Mix everything using the whisk until you get nice sticky mixture.  
• Step 4: Assemble and bake.
  • Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir the batter using a spatula. Don't overmix the batter.
  • Add in raisins and caraway seeds. Fold everything together gently.
  • Spoon the batter into muffin liners, filling them ¾ full. Optional: lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut sugar. 
  • Pop the muffins into the preheated, and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Substitutions

• You can substitute Spelt flour with any whole grain flour. Or use plain/all-purpose flour if you prefer. Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
• You can substitute maple syrup with honey. See "Recipe tips" for more suggestions.
• You can substitute butter with coconut oil with avocado oil. Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
• You can use raisins or substitute them with currants.

Tips for storing

• Counter: Once muffins are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container and keep them on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days.
• Refrigerator: Muffins will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, in an airtight container.
• How to freeze? Place the muffins in a zip-lock bag. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on room temperature.
• Muffins can be warmed in the microwave. Be careful not to overheat them.

Recipe tips

• When folding the batter, use the spatula and don't over-mix it. You need to have air bubbles in the batter. They make a lighter muffins.
• To check whether muffins are done, insert a skewer or toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, they are ready to come out of the oven.
• Make sure you use eggs at room temperature. Pull them out of the fridge before baking so they can rest for a bit. Or run the eggs under warm water to speed this process or set them in a bowl of warm water.
• If using salted butter, omit adding salt.
• If substituting coconut oil with salted butter, omit adding salt.

Sweetener recommendation

• You can use honey or maple syrup. Make sure you use honey in liquid form, not solid form.
• Date syrup or molasses are great options too. Note that they can make muffins darker in color. That's perfectly ok.
• Use stevia or any low-carb sweetener for low-calorie.

How to make buttermilk at home

To make buttermilk at home, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of plain cow's milk. Stir, then let stand 5 minutes. Use for baking. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Recipe variations

• Make it gluten-free: Substitute whole-grain flour with any gluten-free flour.
• Make it vegan: Use chia of flax seed egg. Use vegan butter and vegan buttermilk.