These Soaked Wheat Pumpkin (or Sweet Potato) Muffins are:
- naturally sweetened with honey (read more here about avoiding refined sugar).
- freezer-friendly and perfect for school lunches.
- packed with beta-carotene (a pre-cursor to vitamin A), which is needed for healthy vision, skin and brain function.
- made using a simple process called “soaking”, in which the flour is first soaked overnight in an acidic medium. Our ancestors all over the world used this method in order to make their grains easier to digest.
Why Should I Soak my Wheat?
The process involves soaking the flour in water and an acidic substance (yogurt, whey, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice) for 12-24 hours before cooking. Soaking was a common method of preparing grains, before our foods started coming from factories rather than our own kitchens.
- Flour contains a substance called “phytic acid“, which inhibits our body’s ability to absorb calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc. When we soak the flour, we activate an enzyme called “phytase”, which breaks down the phytic acid in the flour, therefore making it easier for our intestines to absorb these nutrients.
- Soaking the flour breaks down complex starches and difficult-to-digest proteins. For many, this may lessen their sensitivity to grains.
- It also gives baked goods a delicious flavor!
For a sweet potato puree, you can poke holes in your sweet potato with a fork several times, and bake at 425F (220C) until tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool, cut in half, and scoop out the soft flesh.
My recipe was modified from this Soaked Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe over at Kitchen Stewardship.
Soaked Wheat Pumpkin (or Sweet Potato) Muffins
Servings 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour* I use freshly ground organic flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (or sweet potato puree)
- 1/2-3/4 cup honey depending on your sweet tooth!
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- The night before you want to enjoy these muffins, mix the flour, water, yogurt, and butter in a large bowl. Cover well and leave on the counter (at room temperature, NOT in the fridge) overnight, or between 12 and 24 hours.
- The next morning, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the batter into muffin cups and bake for about 12-15 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The time will depend on the size of your muffins cups, so keep an eye on them.
- Enjoy!
Hello, Dr. Laura! Thank you for another great recipe! I made these with the pumpkin purée and butter. It yielded 14 cupcakes. I put them on the kitchen table to cool off. When I returned an hour later there was only 4 left! The kids loved them and I was so happy because I got them to eat pumpkin!
I’m so glad your kids enjoyed them alhamdulillah! Thanks for your comment Assiya 💗
Allah humma barik, fantastic recipe. The only thing I was surprised too see here was the microwave the sweet patatoe to make a puree? With all the known health risks I would not advocate using a microwave. There is no point in buying organic produce and then microwaveing it? Microwaves are associated with so many health problems including cancer
Thanks so much for pointing that out Selma! We’ve actually been microwave-free in our house for several years, but I just forgot to update the recipe!
These were actually quite good. I was worried when I saw the sludgy texture of the batter after the soaking period, but everything turned out all right. Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked them!
Hello, love your recipes!
Any way I can turn this into a banana muffin recipe?
Thanks in advance for your time 🙂
Yes, you can adapt this recipe into a banana muffin version. Since the original recipe uses pureed pumpkin or sweet potato, you can substitute an equal amount of mashed ripe banana. Bananas are naturally sweeter and have a different moisture content, so you might need to make slight adjustments to balance the texture and sweetness.
Bananas are sweeter than pumpkin or sweet potato. You might consider reducing any added sweeteners slightly to prevent the muffins from being overly sweet. Bananas have a higher water content. If the batter seems too wet, you can add a tablespoon or two of additional flour to achieve the desired consistency. Consider adding complementary spices like cinnamon or nutmeg to enhance the banana flavor. Keep an eye on the muffins as they bake. Due to the moisture content, they might require a slightly longer baking time. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.
Let me know how it turns out!