Glad to share the recipes. It's funny, but I've got muffins from both Cook's recipes in my freezer right now. I like to alternate back & forth between them. Here's the Cook's "Big Bran Muffins" with my notes. One warning, the batter needs to sit at least an hour before baking. I usually leave it overnight. Big Bran Muffins with Raisins and Dates Cooks Illustrated 9/1993 My Notes: This was the best recipe so far that used wheat bran. It makes a dark, moist, flavorful bakery style muffin. I tried it with ½ cup oil & ¼ cup applesauce; I didn't notice any change in texture or taste. The biggest problem was getting the time & temperature right. 20 mins. at 400 is NOT enough time to cook the insides. The first time I made them, I had to re-bake the first batch after the tops came off revealing a batter filled center. The second batch came out much better. Cook's Illustrated Note: You can substitute one cup oat bran for the wheat germ for a wholesome but slightly more dense muffin. (I have successfully used all wheat bran and half wheat & half oat bran; I've never tried the wheat germ.) Makes about 20 muffins 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (I use 1½ cups AP flour & 1 cup + 2 tbsp. white whole wheat) 4 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon table salt (I omitted) 3/4 cup vegetable oil (I use ½ cup oil & ¼ cup applesauce) 2 teaspoons honey 1/4 cup molasses 1 cup light brown sugar plus 2 tablespoons, packed firm (I omit the extra 2 tbsp.) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla powder) 3/4 teaspoon maple extract (I used maple powder) 1 1/2 teaspoons butter extract (I omit) 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups buttermilk 1 cup toasted wheat germ (I use another cup of wheat bran or a cup of oat bran) 1 cup wheat bran (not the cereal) 1/2 cup whole dates, plumped with scalding water, drained, and coarsely chopped (I poured boiling water over dried, sweetened cranberries, to plump & to remove excess sugar) 1 cup dark raisins, plumped with scalding water and drained (I poured boiling water over dried, sweetened blueberries, to plump & to remove excess sugar)) 1. Whisk first five ingredients together in a bowl; set aside. 2. In a large bowl, whisk next 7 ingredients together. Whisk in eggs, then buttermilk, wheat germ, and bran. Let batter rest 10 minutes. 3. Whisk dry ingredients into wet mixture to partially blend. Continue mixing batter with a rubber spatula, making sure that ingredients at the bottom are incorporated into the batter. Fold in raisins and dates. 4. Cover batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. 5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat over to 400 degrees. Lightly grease the top surface of 2, 12-cup muffin pans, use liners if necessary. (I bake in batches because I don't own two 12 cup muffin tins) Using an ice cream scoop, place a portion of the batter into each cup, filling to the brim (I've learned that it is important to fill them all the way to the top). Fill empty muffin cups with water to ensure even baking. Bake until muffin tops brown, about 20 minutes. (Cook's Illustrated Note: If muffins are not done after 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake until muffins test done.) [I bake 10 minutes at 400 and then 15-20 minutes at 350. I check with a pick, making sure center of muffins are completely done.] Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. MIMIS BRAN MUFFINS Makes 12 muffins 1 cup flour 1 cup bran 4 tsp dry milk powder 1/4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup dark corn syrup 2 Tbsp molasses 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 egg 1/3 cup raisins 1/4 tsp grated orange zest 1/2 cup water Glaze: 3 Tbsp sugar 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed 3 Tbsp shortening 2 Tbsp corn syrup 2 tsp water Distribute about 1 Tbsp glaze onto bottom and sides of 12 muffin tins with pastry brush. Combine flour, bran, milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir well and set aside. Mix together brown sugar, dark corn syrup, molasses, oil and egg in separate bowl until well blended. Puree raisins and orange zest with water in blender or food processor. Add to liquid ingredients. Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Immediately invert onto foil or wax paper to cool.

Source: MORE Make-A-Mix Cookery - by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover MOLASSES & BRAN MUFFIN MIX 1-cup dry buttermilk powder 1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour 1-1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour 2 T. baking soda 1 T. salt 1-1/4 c. packed brown sugar 6 c. whole-bran cold cereal (the brand that looks like worms) 6 T. molasses In a large bowl, combine buttermilk powder, whole wheat flour, unbleached flour, baking soda and salt. Stir with a wire whisk to blend. Press brown sugar through a coarse sieve. Use a wire whisk to stir brown sugar into flour mixture until evenly distributed. Process whole bran cereal in blender 1 cup at a time until coarse crumbs form. Stir cereal crumbs into flour mixture. Slowly pour molasses over mixture while stirring with a wire whisk or with a heavy-duty mixer on low speed, until evenly distributed. Spoon into a 10-cup container with a tight-fitting lid. Attach lid. Label container with date and contents. Use within 12-weeks if stored at room temperature or within 6-months if stored in refrigerator or freezer. Makes about 10 cups. Bran-Ana Muffins (To make plain bran muffins, omit the banana and add one more egg.) 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 c. mashed bananas 1/4 c. vegetable oil 3/4 c. water 3 c. MOLASSES & BRAN MUFFIN MIX Grease 12 large muffin cups. In a medium bowl, combine egg, mashed bananas, oil and water, beating with a wire whisk to blend. Add MUFFIN MIX all at once, stirring until just moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Let stand 10-minutes to soften bran. Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Fill each prepared muffin cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out dry. Makes 12 large muffins. Grainlady note: You can easily make half-recipes of both the mix and the muffins.

ovenbird - "Are most commercially available red WW flours made from soft varieties?" No, they are milled from hard wheat (or a combination of hard and soft to get a certain protein count) unless it says something like "Whole Wheat PASTRY Flour", then that would be milled from soft wheat. I've had 16% protein wheat, which is almost too much gluten and will make a tough loaf of bread, and I have had to mix it with other wheat varieties, because that much protein would take forever and a day of kneading to develop that much gluten. I don't mix soft and hard wheat flours to make an "all-purpose" flour because I consider it a general purpose flour that really doesn't address all the gluten issues. To me, all-purpose flour is a "lets settle for something in the middle since most people don't know the difference" kind of flour. In all-purpose flour there is enough hard wheat for gluten for fairly good yeast breads, and enough soft so you can make a fairly good cake or quick bread, but it really doesn't address all the gluten factors and options like when you have a chance to mill your own grains, nor is all-purpose flour optimal for all uses. When judging cakes at the local County Fair, I can tell who used cake flour and who used all-purpose. There's a great deal of difference. I often know the protein level of the grains I get (from test weights at the elevator), or I can do water/flour tests as outlined in "CookWise" by Shirley O. Corriher, to figure what the gluten content is, but that's a rare occasion that I'd need to do that. I get grains from reputable sources. Spelt is also a good choice for a replacement for all-purpose flour, especially when making anything other than yeast breads with it, and I use a lot of spelt - nearly as much spelt as wheat. I can also tell from the feel of the flour, once it's milled, if it's hard or soft. If I were to forget which type of grain I had milled, I could usually tell by feeling it. Soft wheat makes a very fine, powdery flour, while hard wheat is a bit more coarse. There is usually more endosperm in soft wheat than there is in hard wheat, but not always. Hard winter wheat is usually small and wrinkled looking and has more bran and less endosperm. Hard Spring Wheat usually has more endosperm than Hard Winter Wheat, but also has less gluten because it has a shorter growing season. Commercial wheat is milled from a combination of hard and soft wheat to get the correct protein content because there is so much variance in grains. Even in the same field you'll have a combination of hard and soft. Anywhere there are puddles where water lays in the wheat fields, the wheat growing in that area will be soft from too much moisture. If there is a side of the field that has some shade from trees, that might also be lower protein than the rest of the field. So most commercial flours, whole wheat and processed white/unbleached, are usually a combination of hard and soft grains. I mill soft white wheat and oat groats (3:1 ratio) to make a very fine wholegrain "cake" flour. That's one that is a bit different.... -Grainlady

Years ago I went with a small group on a garden tour several states away. One of the ladies brought bran muffins for us all to eat on the way, I guess because we'd be sitting in the car for most of two days. They were fantastically good, and I was never a bran muffin fan. She knew we'd want the recipe – she was ready with a printed copy for each of us! It is a very basic bran muffin recipe, originally with walnuts and raisins. She replaced those with black walnuts and chopped dried apricots. Wow. It was a great combination.