A box of Red River Cereal on a table top

Red River, Bran & Rolled Oats Muffins

114498 1 240x300 - Red River, Bran & Rolled Oats Muffins

*Please note, I have no information on Red River Cereal, its production, where it can be purchased or where to buy the ingredients to make your own recipe (cracked wheat and cracked rye).

Copy cat recipe

  • 2 Tablespoons brown flax seeds
  • 2 Tablespoons golden flax seeds
  • 2 cups cracked wheat
  • 2 cups rye meal

 

Ever heard of Red River Cereal?

 

Red River Cereal is a hearty cereal blend of cracked rye, cracked wheat, and both whole and cracked flaxseeds which are cooked into a porridge, or hot cereal.

 

Red River Cereal is quintessentially Canadian; like oatmeal, moms would tell their kids that this hot cereal would ‘stick to your ribs’ and help keep you warm on a cold winter’s day.

 

But it’s not just for hot cereals, there are lots of different Red River Cereal recipes including muffins and quick bread.

Wheat bran

Wheat bran is one of three layers of the wheat kernel. A wheat kernel is made up of three parts: the bran, endosperm, and germ.

 

The bran is the hard outer layer of the wheat kernel, which is jam-packed with various nutrients and fiber.

 

It’s stripped away during the milling process, and some people may consider it nothing more than a byproduct. Yet, it’s rich in many plant compounds, phenolic compounds, minerals and an excellent source of fiber.

Wheat bran nutrition

One-cup of wheat bran has:

  • 125 calories
  • 37 g carbohydrate
  • 25 g fiber
    • 12 g net carbs
  • 9 g protein
  • 45 mcg folate
  • 42 mg calcium
  • 354 mg magnesium
  • 588 mg phosphorus
  • 686 mg potassium
  • 4.2 mg zinc
  • 45 mcg selenium

Red River Cereal

As mentioned above, Red River Cereal is a dense, fiber-rich cereal that’s typically made into hot cereal. It can be used in recipes such as this muffin recipe that makes for a muffin that’s rich in minerals, protein, and prebiotic fiber.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a fermented dairy product. Most modern buttermilk is cultured, meaning that beneficial bacteria have been added to it.

 

Traditional buttermilk is the liquid leftover after whole milk has been churned into butter. Today, however, buttermilk is regular pasteurized and homogenized milk with added lactic-acid-producing bacteria cultures which may include Lactococcus lactis or Lactobacillus bulgaricus.

 

Lactic acid increases the acidity of the buttermilk and prevents unwanted bacterial growth, which extends its shelf life. It also gives buttermilk its slightly sour taste, which is a result of the bacteria fermenting lactose, the primary sugar in milk

 

Buttermilk is thicker than regular milk and gives a moister product when used in baking.

Buttermilk nutrition

Buttermilk is no different than regular milk when it comes to milk’s foundational nutritional profile.

 

One-cup of 1% fat buttermilk has:

  • 100 calories
  • 12 g carb
  • 2.2 g fat
  • 8 g protein
  • 64 IU vitamin A
  • 0.4 mg riboflavin (vitamin B2)
  • 0.5 mcg vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
  • 40 mg choline
  • 285 mg calcium
  • 218 mg phosphorus
  • 370 mg potassium
  • 257 mg sodium

This recipe has 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk which really increases the nutrient-density of these muffins, especially from a high-quality protein point of view.

 

Why not give these Red River Cereal muffins a go this weekend?

Red River, Bran & Rolled Oats Muffins

Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword bran, fiber, muffin, oats, whole grain
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cup boiling water
  • ¾ cup Red River Cereal
  • ¾ cup natural bran Wheat or Oat
  • 2 ½ cups flour whole wheat or spelt
  • 1/2 dry oats [instant or 1 minute oats]
  • 2 ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1/3 cup avocado light olive or coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or use 1 1/2 --cups milk & 1 tsp. vinegar, or plain kefir
  • 1 ½ cups raisins chopped dates, goji or dried cranberries [or combination of these]
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat over to 375F

  2. Pour boiling water over Red River cereal and bran, in a bowl and let stand.
  3. Combine flour, dry oats, baking soda in a large bowl & mix well.
  4. Mix oil, sugar, eggs & buttermilk in a separate bowl, using a hand blender or whisk
  5. Add both the Red River cereal & bran and the oil, sugar, & buttermilk mixtures to the dry ingredients,  stir in dried fruit.
  6. Mix thoroughly.
  7. Spoon into greased muffin cups, filling almost full. Bake for 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched

Recipe Notes

NOTE:

These muffins will be lighter in colour compared to traditional whole grain muffins often made with molasses

Doug Cook RDN is a Toronto based integrative and functional nutritionist and dietitian with a focus on digestive, gut, mental health.  Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.