Classic Dark Bran Muffins

Method

1. Stir the wheat bran into the buttermilk in a large bowl and leave it 20 minutes, until the bran has swollen and the mixture looks like wet sand. Unsoaked bran pulls moisture out of the batter in the oven and leaves the muffins dry and gritty.
2. Cover the raisins with hot water for 10 minutes and drain them well, which keeps them from hardening into pellets during baking.
3. Whisk the vegetable oil, packed dark brown sugar, molasses, large eggs, and vanilla extract into the soaked bran until evenly combined.
4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk the all-purpose flour with the baking soda, fine salt, and ground cinnamon.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a spatula in about a dozen strokes, until barely combined and still slightly lumpy, then fold in the drained raisins. Overmixing gives tough muffins with tunnels through them.
6. Divide the batter among the cups, filling each nearly to the rim, and bake 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are domed and spring back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean.
7. Cool in the tin 5 minutes, then move to a rack. They are best warm and keep three days in a covered container.