the urban baker: Dories Great Grain Muffins

Big field trip today. My favorite field trip. The whole 3rd grade class( 110 kids) goes downtown for a walking tour of famous landmarks and special spots.

It's a long day. There will be lots of walking, lots of talking and lots of 8-9 year olds. I decided to get up early and bake some muffins for the adults. They need to start their day off right and I can think of nothing better than a homemade muffin to do the trick. Dorie Greenspan has a super simple muffin recipe in Baking, from my home to yours. A Great Grain Muffin with lots of good stuff in them. I hope these little treats will be a good start to a long, long day.

Here's the days agenda:
9:15 a.m. start at the Mission Church on Main street
9:45 a.m. cross the street to Union Station, talk about the architecture, California tile, etc.
10:15 a.m. observe the artifacts at the Vignes Ave. end of the station
10:30 a.m. board the train for a ride on the Red Line, exiting at Pershing Square. We will observe Bunker Hill and then head over to ( my personal favorite ), Grand Central Market. Have a snack, buy some treats and then head over to the Bradbury Building. After a brief history lesson, walk past City Hall and then end up back at El Pueblo Historic Park.
12:00 p.m. meet at the Plaza for a tour of all the special spots
12:30 p.m. lunch time
1:00 p.m. tour of Olvera Street
2:15 p.m. head back to school

Great Grain Muffins
adapted from Dorie Greenspan
yield 12 muffins

ingredients:
2/3 cup all purpose flour ( the original recipe called for 1 cup)
2/3 cup whole wheat flour ( the original recipe called for 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 stick ( 4 oz. ) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup plump fruit or nuts ( I used dried figs and next time I would add more fruit )

instructions:
• preheat oven to 400*. spray muffin trays and place the pan on a baking sheet
• in a large bowl, combine and whisk flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, + salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, maple syrup, eggs, + melted butter. pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and whisk quickly to blend. stir in the fruit or nuts
• bake 18-20 minutes our until the tops are golden. cool for 5 minutes, then take out of pan and cool completely.
• serve with butter, cream cheese, jam or a slice of cheese!