Recipe #45: Crumb Muffins with Raisins

Crumb Muffins with Raisins

Crumb muffins are muffins made with bread crumbs that replace part of the flour. It's an old process that goes back to the middle ages in Europe, when people used stale bread crumbs to make all manner of baked goods. These days, you don't see bakers using bread crumbs much, but people still use graham cracker crumbs, cookie crumbs, and cereal crumbs in baking. So it really isn't such a stretch to incorporate bread crumbs, but I think it's necessary to get the right kind, especially if you're making a quick bread.

I did have a bit of trouble finding a recipe that would approximate the one in 201 Muffins. In fact, after searching the internet for a few days and finding nothing suitable, I decided to check my good old bread making book, A World of Breads, by Dolores Casella, to see if it contained such a recipe. And lo and behold, it did! It was a simple recipe described as "very old"--just what I wanted! I made a few adjustments to the recipe, adding raisins and pecans and more sugar. I used whole wheat bread crumbs which I had to make, but fortunately, there was a recipe for that on the internet! 

I think the muffins came out very well. They were hearty and slightly sweet. I would definitely make these again! My tasters also enjoyed them. I rate these muffins 5 out of 5.

Next up: Crunch-Apple Muffins