Soup Sides: Oatmeal Muffins

One of my favorite things to make to go along with soup is muffins. I find that oatmeal muffins are ideal, because the oats give them a little boost of protein compared to other grains, and the currants in this version complement the savory flavors of soup nicely. (In other words, they're really yummy!)

A lot of people wonder what the difference is between rolled oats, quick oats, and steel cut oats and when to use them. As it happens, we can back up a step because we have whole oat groats in the Bulk bins at City Market, too. These are whole oat seeds (comparable to wheat berries), and most people who buy them use them for a particularly chewy and flavorful porridge, although you have to soak them overnight first to soften them (or cook them in a crock pot overnight). From there, it’s a quick hop to steel-cut oats, which are simply the whole oat groats that have been coarsely sliced, so they don’t need to soak overnight (they cook in about 30 minutes). Then you have your basic rolled oats, which are oat groats that have been lightly steamed and rolled flat, for even quicker cooking time (about 10 minutes). And lastly, you have your quick oats, which are oats that have been lightly steamed and rolled AND sliced, so they are the quickest cooking of all (about 1 minute). All these oats are whole grains, and have the same nutritional value, even though they have been processed differently for consumption.

Usually rolled oats are a bit chewy when you put them in muffins or cookies because they don’t soften as much as when they are cooked in water for porridge. This recipe deals with that by adding ½ cup of hot water to the oats at the start of the recipe. The original recipe called for combining 1 cup oats with 1 cup buttermilk and letting it sit for 1 hour, which would have the same effect, and you can try that some time. But for quickness and ease, which is often what I need, especially at the dinner hour, this solution seems to work just fine. And these muffins are great reheated the next morning for breakfast!

 
Oatmeal Muffins
 
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup yogurt
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/3 cup light brown sugar
4 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup dried currants
 
Preheat oven to 400 and prepare 12 muffin tins. In a large bowl, combine oats with hot water. Stir, then add yogurt. Add egg, brown sugar and butter to oat mixture, stirring until just combined.
 
In another large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and add to oat mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in currants.
 
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin tins. Bake muffins in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes.
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