Soaked Blueberry Blue Corn Muffins
If you like muffins but tired of making the same old kind, give these Soaked Blueberry Blue Corn Muffins a try. They are made by overnight acidic fermentation of blue corn, rye and einkorn flours, in order to release nutrients otherwise bound in the grains and make these muffins easily digestible. Blue corn is very flavorful, and is sweeter than the white and yellow varieties. Plus it is considered to be superior because it contains 20% more protein and has a lower glycemic index (source), which makes it a better choice for folks who need to maintain stable blood sugar. It is also higher in antioxidant anthocyanin (same one that makes blueberries so good for you), zinc and iron than other corn varieties. It also contains nice amounts of vitamins A, B2, thiamine, niacin (source).
Rye’s high magnesium content makes it a very special grain that I think should be given more attention in the age where we see so much heart disease, arthritis and osteoporosis. Even though people consume a lot of calcium, they are not able to absorb it properly because magnesium, which anyone eating regular American diet hardly gets enough of, is necessary for proper absorption of calcium. When calcium is not properly absorbed, it gets deposited along the joints, within the arteries and any place it can find, leading to a number of degenerative diseases.
Most muffin recipes call for baking soda to give them a rise but kefir, a lot like buttermilk, takes care of that step. I prefer to not taste soda in my baked goods. These muffins go really well with butter and honey or maple syrup, or cream cheese and jelly.
HOW TO MAKE SOAKED BLUEBERRY BLUE CORN MUFFINS
Ingredients
2 cups kefir (how to make kefir; or buy at any grocery store)
1.5 cup blue corn flour (I get mine at the bulk section of Whole Foods)
1/2 cup whole grain rye flour
1/2 cup whole grain or all-purpose einkorn flour (I get einkorn from Jovial Foods)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 pastured eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter or ghee (how to make ghee)
1 cup frozen or dried blueberries (don’t use fresh berries, otherwise the muffins might come out soggy)
Instructions
The night before you want to make muffins, combine kefir, blue corn, rye and einkorn flours together in a bowl. Cover, and leave at room temperature until ready to bake, 8 to 14 hours.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Add the remaining ingredients, folding the blueberries last. The batter will be thicker than pancake batter.
Scoop batter into a lined muffin pan, filling the muffin cups about 2/3 full. I get about 18 muffins out of this amount.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- 2 cups kefir ([url href=”https://www.beetsandbones.com/make-kefir-and-why-you-should/” target=”_blank” title=”How to Make Kefir, and Why You Should”]how to make kefir[/url]; or buy at any grocery store)
- 1.5 cup blue corn flour (I get mine at the bulk section of Whole Foods)
- 1/2 cup whole grain rye flour
- 1/2 cup whole grain or all-purpose einkorn flour (I get einkorn from Jovial Foods)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 pastured eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup melted butter or ghee (how to make ghee)
- 1 cup frozen or dried blueberries (don’t use fresh berries, otherwise the muffins might come out soggy)
- The night before you want to make muffins, combine kefir, blue corn, rye and einkorn flours together in a bowl. Cover, and leave at room temperature until ready to bake, 8 to 14 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Add the remaining ingredients, folding the blueberries last. The batter will be thicker than pancake batter.
- Scoop batter into a lined muffin pan, filling the muffin cups about 2/3 full. I get about 18 muffins out of this amount.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
3 comments
I am loving these muffins.. and all that delicious syrup over the top. You really have got me wishing I had one now!
Hey Thalia 🙂 Thanks a lot! These are always welcome at my house, and a good way to add rye flour to our meals, which I’m a huge fan of!
These look wonderful! I have not baked a lot with kefir, but your tip for using it as a baking soda replacement will change that!