With back-to-school just around the corner, I have the perfect treat for packing in lunch boxes to keep your kids (or you!) satisfied for hours. These Soaked Wheat Pumpkin (or Sweet Potato) Muffins are incredibly moist and nutritious!
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.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 12muffins | 20minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 15minutes | 12hours |
|
|
- 1 1/2cups whole wheat flour*I use freshly ground organic flour
- 3/4cup water
- 2tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1cup pumpkin puree(or sweet potato puree)
- 1/2-3/4cup honeydepending on your sweet tooth!
- 2 eggs
- 1/2teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4teaspoon sea salt
- 1teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2cup nuts or chocolate chips(optional)
- 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!