Ristretto Roasters Blog

Blueberry Bran Muffins

I just now teased Din that, when I die, on my headstone (which I will not have), he should not have carved "Beloved Wife," but the recipe for my Blueberry Bran Muffins, which I started serving at the shop the day we opened, then pulled when we hired a baker, only to receive emails along the lines of "BRING BACK THE BRAN!!!!!"

I did; shortly thereafter, Bon Appetit requested the recipe. I usually bake them only for the weekend crowd, though lately, business has been so brisk, you may just find them there on a Tuesday.

For those who've recently requested the recipe, here it is:

Blueberry Bran Muffins

Makes 12 large (sometimes called "Texas") muffins

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark molasses (not unsulphered)
1 cup oil (corn, safflower, canola, whatever)
2 cups sour cream
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
2 t. kosher salt
6 cups wheat bran
2 cups frozen blueberries

Whisk together eggs, sugar, molasses, oil and sour cream. Whisk in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in bran, then blueberries.

Spray two muffins pans (six cups each) with flavorless cooking spray. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups, Bake, about 35 - 40 minutes. Cool on racks, though not longer than an hour, after which muffins will stick to pans. To remove, run a butter knife around the side of each muffin and pop out.

These will be more popular than you anticipate.

Starbucks Closes!

... for training! I saw this headline all over today and did not think to blog it until alerted that it was postworthy. While I especially like Jeff Nolan's suggestion that  the "next thing [Starbucks CEO Howard] Schultz should do is rip out those automatic espresso machines and go back to the old style manual machines, I especially especially like his link to espresso porn. Wah - talk about moneyshots galore!

photo courtesy of tonx

Here We Come...

So sayeth the Oregonian [Note: photo is not of Ristretto II -- or as my friend Amy Alkon has taken to calling it, "Son of Ristretto" but a restaurant in the same complex.]