Purple Barley Whole Grain Muffins

October 12, 2023

by Emily Bland

Ingredients

1.5 cups 1000 Springs Mill Purple Barley

1.5 cups Buttermilk (see note¹)

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tbsp orange zest

¾ cup raisins

¼ tsp nutmeg

¾ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

⅛ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups spelt flour (see note²)

Instructions

Grind the barley into a flour. You could use a food processor but a spice grinder works much, much better.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (220°C).
Combine buttermilk and barley flour in a bowl then add in the rest of the ingredients—except the spelt. Stir until well-combined.
Fold in the spelt flour but do not overmix it. Stir until just combined.
Scoop a generous ⅓ cup of batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes:

¹I prefer to use the powdered buttermilk powder which is easier to keep in the fridge at all times and requires no special trip to the grocery store. To veganize this recipe you can simply add 2 tbsp of lemon juice to the 1.5 cups of vegan milk.

²You can use whole wheat flour instead but it will probably make for a drier muffin. If you do this, start checking them at around the 12 minute mark.

by Emily Bland