Sprouted Spelt Date Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sprouted spelt date muffins pair the nuttiness of spelt with the natural sweetness of dates. These are the perfect breakfast or snack any time of the day.

If you saw the yeasted round loaf I baked with sprouted spelt a couple of weeks back, you already know that it was a new ingredient for me. What I didn’t tell you was how hard it was to find here in the fourth most populous city of the United States. I assumed it would be easy.

Houston has become well-known lately as a foodie destination. Don’t believe me? Check out this article on GQ, for one. And David Chang called it no less than his favorite food city on his Netflix show Ugly Delicious. From the specialty stores that carry imported ingredients from Asia, the Middle East, and both Eastern and Western Europe, not to mention the many grocery store chains vying for my food dollar, I thought I could get anything here.

Turns out that sprouted flours are easy to find online, not so easy to buy in a Houston shop. I finally found a five-pound bag in Sprouts. Five pounds! Fortunately, we love the bread it makes. Expect to find more sprouted spelt recipes in the coming months. Meanwhile, start with something easy, like muffins.

Sprouted Spelt Date Muffins

I adapted this recipe from one on the King Arthur website. The weight they list for 2 1/4 cups of flour did not reflect my own measurements, which you will find below. I really cannot explain the discrepancy but I can tell you that I weighed my sprouted spelt and that exactly how much I used to make these muffins.

Ingredients
1/2 cup, firmly packed, or 113g stoned dates
2 cups or 240g sprouted spelt flour
1/4 cup or 50g brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with paper or silicone baking cups.

Chop the dates roughly and set aside some pieces for adding to the top of the muffins.

Whisk all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl then add in the dates.

Stir well and use your fingers separate the sticky date pieces until they are all well coated with flour.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and oil.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones until they are just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Top with the reserved chopped dates.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Cool in the pan for a few minutes then remove the muffins and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Check out the first lovely muffins of 2020 my Muffin Monday friends are sharing today!

• Bakery Style Double Chocolate Muffins from Making Miracles
• Cherry Chip Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Cinnamon Sugar Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Jelly Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Macaroon Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Sprouted Spelt Date Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these sprouted spelt date muffins! 

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