Best Bran Muffins

Hydrate the bran. In a small bowl, combine bran buds and boiling water (be extra careful). Stir and let stand 10 minutes. In another bowl, stir bran flakes with buttermilk. Let stand 10 minutes. (Both should look softened and thick.)

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners (or grease well).

Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl whisk melted butter, oil, applesauce, eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy.

Add the hydrated bran. Stir in the soaked buds and the buttermilk–bran-flakes mixture until evenly combined.

Add dry ingredients. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Add cinnamon if using. Sprinkle over the wet mixture and fold gently with a spatula until just a few floury streaks remain. Fold in any add-ins. The batter should be thick but scoopable.

Rest. Let the batter sit 10 minutes on the counter or 30 minutes in the refrigerator. This final soak makes a huge difference in moisture and doming.

Fill and bake. Divide batter evenly (fill cups nearly to the top). Sprinkle each bran muffin generously with brown sugar. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until domed and a tester comes out clean.

Cool. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then move to a rack. Enjoy warm or at room temperature with butter.