Pictured above: Soaked blueberry, strawberry and banana-walnut Power Muffins! Mmmm!!!
Discover the secret of soaking your grains for increased digestibility, nutrition and flavor! This delicious muffin recipe is a great way to get started. Also check out How to Soak Grains for Optimal Nutrition.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain organic Kefir (or cultured buttermilk)
- 1/2 cup pure honey (I prefer sage honey due to its mild flavor)
- 3 tbsp pure organic maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups organic whole Spelt flour
- 1 1/2 cups organic whole Kamut flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) melted butter
- 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
- 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
Instructions
- Add kefir, honey and maple syrup to a large ceramic (or glass) mixing bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine. Using a spoon, stir in spelt and kamut flours, until well blended. (Mixture will resemble a very sticky dough.) Cover the bowl and place it in a warm area of your kitchen for 24 hours.
- Once soaking time is completed, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend in remaining ingredients with large wire whisk. Batter will be very thick and sticky and it will take some effort to combine. Spoon batter into lined muffin tins until about 3/4 full. Bake approximately 25-28 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and toothpick comes out clean. Makes 24 muffins. Enjoy!
Notes
Power Muffin Add-ins:
• Blueberry muffins: Add fresh blueberries, per “secret” tip below
• Strawberry muffins: Add diced strawberries, per “secret” tip below
• Mixed Berry muffins: Add a combo of your favorite berries (like blueberry, strawberry & raspberry)
• Banana-Nut muffins: Add chopped walnuts and diced banana, per “secret” tip below (optional: chocolate chips or carob chips)
Secret to adding fruit to muffin batter: When your batter is ready, line your muffins tins with paper liners (or well-oil them with coconut or olive oil). Place one heaping spoonful of batter into each muffin cup. Then add your chopped fruit or whole blueberries on top of the batter. Cover with another heaping spoonful of batter. Then add more fruit to the top. Bake as directed above. This process results in the fruit not all sinking to the bottom of the muffin and also helps the muffin batter cook through more thoroughly.
More delicious options:
• Cranberry-Nut Power Muffins: Simply add 1 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon to the above recipe (after soaking). Place one heaping spoonful of batter into each muffin cup. Then add a sprinkling of dried cranberries and chopped pecans (or walnuts) on top of the batter. Cover with another heaping spoonful of batter. Then add more dried cranberries and nuts to the top. Bake as directed above.
• Apple Pie Power Muffins: Simply add 1 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon to the above recipe (after soaking). Place one heaping spoonful of batter into each muffin cup. Then add a sprinkling of finely diced apple, raisins and chopped walnuts on top of the batter. Cover with another heaping spoonful of batter. Then add more finely diced apple, raisins and nuts to the top. Bake as directed above.
• Almond Poppy Muffins: Replace the vanilla extract in the above recipe with 1 1/8 tsp of pure almond extract instead. Fold in 2 tbsp of poppy seeds and 1/2 cup of sliced almonds. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Add a sprinkling of sliced almonds to the top. Bake as directed above.
What can I use in place of kamut flour? I have spelt and whole wheat. Also, is there a way I
can make my own cultured buttermilk?
Thanks.
Hi, Sophia! You can use all spelt in this recipe or a combo of spelt/wheat, if you’d prefer. I like the combo of spelt and kamut – has such a nice flavor, but I know kamut is not as easy to find. As far as making your own cultured buttermilk – yes, you can do this relatively easily with raw milk. There are lots of recipes out there for making your own homemade buttermilk, but this one is one of the easiest from Kristen at Food Renegade: http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-make-buttermilk/. Hope this helps! Blessings, Kelly
After a quick search for a soaked pineapple upside-down cake recipe and no luck I thought to myself, “the 24 hr power muffins seem like they would be delicious as a cake!” So I tried it. I’ve done it twice now with success. (and rave reviews!) I used the recipe just as described except I always just use some local whole wheat pastry flour (3cups) instead of the combination because of $ and easier access to it. I use 2 9inch cake pans and put about 1/4 cup of coconut oil in the bottom and melt it in the oven while it preheats. Both times I have sprinkled 1-2 Tbsp of sucanat on the bottom of the pan and then arranged fresh pineapple on top. I’m sure you could leave the sucanat out and use canned fruit. Make it look pretty then add a few pieces of dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, raisens ect.) to the the bottom just for a little added “wow!” when you flip it over. I still cooked at 325 and just had to add about 8 min. Obviously watch it and toothpick test. It turns out moist and delicious! I store in frig, but serve at room temp. Plus a lil’ fresh whipping cream and you have a gourmet looking AND nutritious desert!! <3 ….or breakfast. 😉
You are an ANGEL! I LOVE pineapple upside down cake and have been wanting to create a healthier real food version. I never thought about using this muffin recipe as a cake recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know how you used this to create one of my all-time favorite desserts – you’re a genius! I’ll give this a try soon and when I post it, I’ll be sure to give you a shout-out! Thanks again, Hope! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
We made these yesterday. A blueberry/blackberry batch and chocolate batch. Chocolate batch, I used 2 C whole spelt flour, 1/2 C whole pastry flour (not GF since it is soaked) and 1/2 C raw cocoa powder. Add ins included 1 C very dark mini chocolate chips, 1/2 C dried cranberries and 1/2 C toasted pecans. Turned our very rich and moist so I wanted to share! Nutrient dense and easy on the belly 🙂
Wow, Natasha! That sounds so good adding cranberries with the dark chocolate! What a great flavor combo! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a note! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
I don’t have honey 🙁 Can I use rapadura or molasses instead?
Hi, Stephanie. I haven’t tried these using rapadura or molasses, but I imagine they would be fine. You may want to add an extra tablespoon of kefir to buttermilk to make up for the moisture in the honey. Lots of blessings, Kelly
Okay, I will give a try and let you know how it goes! 🙂
I don’t have either of those flours. What can I use instead?
The flours I have on hand are: whole wheat, brown rice, white rice, sorghum, tapioca, and millet.
I also have 2 gluten-free premade mixes-1 is Bob’s Red mill & the other is NOW.
Hi, KC. You can use whole wheat in place of the spelt and kamut, since they are all related so to speak – spelt and kamut are genetically similar to wheat. But you cannot substitute non-gluten flours cup-for-cup for gluten-based flour since they behave very differently. These will be heavier and denser in texture and flavor with whole wheat than with the spelt-kamut blend. I prefer spelt to whole wheat because it’s much lighter in taste and texture and it’s higher in protein and other nutrients. If you’re able to locate some, I’d recommend giving it a try. Lots of blessings, Kelly 🙂
Do you have to soak for 24 hours? A lot of your recipes for soaking say 12-24. I was going to soak tonight and make for tomorrows breakfast. Thank you for your wonderful website. I can not begin to tell you how much help it has been to me. Thank you.
You can certainly soak for 12 hours – not a problem. I just soak for 24 because they taste more soured that way – which my kids like. And thanks for your sweet compliments. I am so honored to be able to be used by the Lord to help precious families like yours! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Hi Kelly, I’m really wanting to make these but I don’t have milk kefir or buttermilk. Could I use regular milk with lemon to make it buttermilk? I don’t suppose soaking it in water would work? I do have water kefir…
Hi, Whitney. Do you have whole milk yogurt? That can also be used without changing the flavor/texture of this recipe. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Hi Kelly!
I have organic whole milk or nonfat strained greek yogurt. Would either of those choices work with this recipe? Thanks so much!
Yogurt works great to soak. But not whole milk. You need the acidity found in cultured dairy. For details on soaking, I recommend checking out my article on How to Soak Grains for Optimal Nutrition: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/how-to-soak-grains-for-optimal-nutrition/ Hope this helps! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
I would like to try this recipe, and I have done my share of cooking with soaked grains, but I have never added honey to ingredients when soaking. When forms of bacteria are added to honey, it makes the honey spoil, so wouldn’t it spoil if you were soaking it with kefir or an acid medium? (I also wonder about this with the maple syrup)
thanks!
Sheri
Hi, Sheri. Great question! The combination of the acid medium and cultures along with the relatively short soak time do not allow a sufficient environment for bacteria to thrive. However, you can most certainly add the sweetener after the soak without any change in the outcome. Lots of blessings, Kelly 🙂
Is there anything I could use to replace the eggs? I’m allergic. Bananas or ground flax seed oil with water? Applesauce? Has anyone tried any egg alternatives?
Hi, Sylwia. Here’s a post on how to substitute with eggs. Hope this helps. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=104
I do appreciate the recipe , but is there any way to make these muffins gluten-free? Thank you!
Hi, Heidi. I have several GF muffin recipes on the site, here is a mixed fruit muffin that is terrific which uses almond flour: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/mixed-berry-muffins-gf/
and one that incorporates lemon zest: http://thenourishinghome.com/2013/06/strawberry-shortcake-muffins/
and here is a great lemon-berry muffin that uses coconut flour: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/lemonberry-muffins-gf/
These are just a few of the many GF muffin recipes that you can find in the breakfast recipe section of this site.
The power muffins recipe is actually an old post from back before I went GF, however, as of late 2012 all recipes posted on the site are gluten-free. (I’ve kept the old soaked grain recipes since so many readers who are not GF enjoy them.) Many blessings to you, Kelly
OK, thanks for pointing me to GF recipes on your site! But as I have read the info about soaking grains, I am confused about whether GF grain and nut flours, such as rice, almond or coconut, should be soaked as well. It seems to make sense that if it’s good to soak rice before cooking it, it should be good to soak rice flour, and same for almonds (to reduce the phytates). Do you have any information or opinion on this? Thank you very much.
As far as soaking goes, most real food experts do not recommend soaking blanched almond flour. From a practical standpoint, soaking almond flour doesn’t work well for creating a tasty baked product. And with regard to phytates, the heaviest concentration of phytic acid is found in the skin of the almond which is removed when making blanched almond flour. Therefore a significant amount of phytic acid is already removed during the blanching process. So consumption of the resulting blanched almond is generally fine for most individuals – in moderation!
However, if you are especially sensitive to phytic acid, then there are options, you could work on healing your gut first through a diet such as GAPS and then proceed as this program suggests in slowly adding foods such as grain-free flours back into your diet, as you progress in healing your GI tract.
Or another option for those with severe gut health issues is to make their own soaked almond flour by purchasing raw almonds and soaking them in some warm salted water overnight. Next, remove the skins and dry them out thoroughly in the oven or food dehydrator. Then use a high-powered blender or food grinder to grind the soaked almonds into blanched almond flour. Just be careful not to over process, as there’s a fine line between almond flour and almond butter.
Hope this helps! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
This looks like a lovely recipe. I’m new to soaking grains so I’m a little confused about using the same liquid in the recipe that the grains/flours were soaked in. Shouldn’t they be rinsed after the soaking period to get rid of the phytic acid or has it been broken down by phytase and is no longer problematic?
Thank you!
Hi, Marianne. When soaking whole (unmilled grains such as wheat berries or rice), yes you can drain and rinse the grain. However, with milled flour this is not so. Please see my overview of the phytic acid white paper by WAPF here: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/how-to-soak-grains-for-optimal-nutrition/ I also recommend purchasing the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon for an extensive discussion on soaking and of course you can further research soaking by reading the phytic acid white paper yourself: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/living-with-phytic-acid I always encourage people to do their own research since everyone’s dietary needs differ and research is constantly changing. Speaking of which, I have been grain-free for almost two years now, due to chronic health issues that have been helped by removing grains entirely. So as you explore my site, you will find some older soaked grain recipes, but since late 2012 the site has shifted to gluten-free/grain-free due to my dietary change. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Can you substitute coconut flour for the blanched almond flour?
Hi, Judy. I think you meant to comment on a different recipe since this one is for grain-based muffins. But to answer your question, you cannot substitute coconut flour for blanched almond flour without also change the other ingredient measurements since coconut flour is far more absorbent and therefore requires more liquid and eggs than almond flour does. So what I would recommend is using my lemonberry coconut flour muffins recipe instead and you can add whatever fruit you like to it. It’s a very moist and delicious coconut flour muffin recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/lemonberry-muffins-gf/
Thanks Kelly, I was wondering about the Power Muffins. Can I substitute other grain or bean flours for the Spelt flour and Kamut, like Teff, Buckwheat, or Garbanzo bean flours? Can either of these be substitutes for almond flour in other recipes?
Hi, Judy. Unfortunately substituting gluten-free flours for gluten based flour is not an easy 1-to-1 option. Same goes for substituting other gluten-free flours in place of almond flour. The reason is that differing amounts of liquids and binders are required depending upon the type of flour used. So the safest bet, so you don’t waste time and ingredients, is to look for recipes that use the flour you would like to bake with. So if you’re looking for recipes that use teff, buckwheat and bean flours, I’d recommend doing a google search for those ingredients. I wish I had an easy solution for you, but again, because each gluten-free flour requires different combinations for liquids and binders, it’s just not possible to adjust a recipe with almond flour by simply substituting with bean flour. It would take readjusting the entire recipe. 🙂
I’m a vegan, so what can I use to replace the dairy products for soaking? I know I can use another product to replace eggs, I just want to know about the soaking part. Would you please let me know?
I can use your soaking instructions in any other baking recipe if it could be possible. Thanks.
Mia, you can use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar as a non-dairy option for soaking. Please be sure to see my article on how to soak for optimal nutrition here: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/how-to-soak-grains-for-optimal-nutrition/ Blessings, Kelly