RECIPES FROM 1979
Banana Bran Muffins
Light, old-school banana bran muffins, best served warm with butter.
BETTER THAN EXPECTED
25 MINS
MAKES 24
ABOUT THE RECIPE
Banana, bran and a very practical muffin method make this one feel straight out of a 1979 home kitchen. It is simple, lightly sweet and built more for breakfast than dessert.
The bran gives the muffins a slightly savoury edge, while the banana keeps them soft. Warm from the oven with butter, they are much nicer than the plain title suggests.
THE ORIGINAL RECIPE
THE MODERN CONVERSION
From 1979 to today’s kitchen.
The original recipe, reworked with clearer measurements, modern steps and everything you need to make it now.
Ingredients
190 g mashed ripe banana, about 2 medium bananas
55 g caster sugar
150 g plain flour
4 level teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
45 g bran flakes or cooking bran
1 large free-range egg
150 ml milk
50 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Extra butter or oil, for greasing the muffin tin
Method
1.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Grease an 18-hole patty tin or small muffin tin well. You can also use paper cases if preferred, although the original recipe simply says to grease the tins.
2.
Mash the bananas with a fork in a small bowl until mostly smooth. Stir in the sugar and set aside.
3.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir through the bran flakes or cooking bran.
4.
In a separate bowl or jug, beat the egg and milk together.
5.
Melt the butter, then allow it to cool slightly so it is warm rather than hot. Stir the melted butter into the egg and milk mixture.
6.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add the mashed banana mixture and the milk mixture.
7.
Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are just combined. Do not overmix. The batter should look slightly rustic and muffin-like, not perfectly smooth.
8.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins, filling each hole about two-thirds full.
9.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins are risen, lightly golden and spring back when gently pressed. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.
10.
Leave the muffins to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
THE TASTE TEST
So, was it worth making again?
The honest verdict after cooking from the 1979 page.
These were much lighter than I expected. The bran makes them feel wholesome and breakfasty, but the banana keeps them soft enough to still feel like a treat.
They are not glossy modern bakery muffins, and that is part of the charm. I liked them best warm with butter, which turned them into a very good little breakfast indulgence.
SAMANTHA'S NOTES
Keep mixing gentle
Use ripe bananas
Serve them warm
The riper the bananas, the better the flavour. They bring most of the softness and natural sweetness here.
They are nice at room temperature, but much better warm with butter melting into the middle.
Stir just until the batter comes together. Overmixing will make the muffins heavier than they need to be.
KEEP COOKING
More from the 1979 Archive
A few more vintage cookbook recipes to cook, save and come back to.
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