A Little Wild Rice Magic: Morning Glory Muffins with Blueberries, Cranberries and Wild Rice Flour
Sometimes the most memorable kitchen discoveries begin with a single unfamiliar ingredient.
I've been baking Morning Glory muffins lately, tinkering with a recipe that combines whole-wheat pastry flour, grated apple, carrots and dried fruit. They're hearty without being heavy, pleasantly sweet, and just the sort of thing I enjoy having on hand for breakfast or an afternoon treat.
My first small batch yielded five generously sized muffins instead of the six I'd intended. No matter. They were perfectly moist and tender inside, with just a hint of crispness on the tops.
My daughter loved them. In fact, she reminded me—twice!—that I needed to finish scaling the recipe so she could have it.
So I increased the ingredients by 20 percent, keeping the generous muffin size we both liked. And then something rather wonderful happened.
Enter Manoomin ... aka Wild Rice
I'd recently acquired some wild rice flour from Minnesota. But this wasn't just any wild rice flour.
It was made from manoomin, wild rice traditionally harvested by canoe and parched over a wood fire.
Manoomin, often translated from Anishinaabemowin as "the good berry," has deep cultural, historical, and spiritual significance for Anishinaabe peoples. Traditional harvesting and processing practices reflect generations of knowledge and relationships with the lakes and waters where it grows.
I wanted to honor that heritage while exploring what this remarkable ingredient might bring to my baking.
Wild rice isn't actually rice in the botanical sense. It's the seed of an aquatic grass native to North America. And unlike ordinary rice flour, traditionally wood-parched wild rice flour can bring distinctive earthy, nutty, toasted notes to baked goods. I'd received my introduction to real wild rice from one of my husband's nieces in Minnesota. Her husband goes out in a canoe to harvest and process wild rice in the native traditions. Once I tried it, I was hooked and had to try the flour next.
A Small Change, a Remarkable Difference
Rather than replacing all the wheat flour, I decided to start modestly.
My six-muffin recipe called for 84 grams of flour. I used 67 grams of whole-wheat pastry flour and replaced the remaining 17 grams—just 20 percent—with wild rice flour.
I also made another change.
Instead of raisins, I added about three tablespoons of dried blueberries and cranberries to the grated apple and carrot.
Blueberries and cranberries, like wild rice, have long histories in Indigenous North American foodways. I liked the idea of bringing these ingredients together, while recognizing that my modern muffin recipe is my own kitchen experiment, not a traditional Indigenous recipe.
Into the oven they went at 350°F.
And out came six beautiful, golden-brown muffins.
That Incredible "Something"
The first bite told the story.
The muffins had retained everything we loved about the original: a tender, moist interior and that delightful little bit of crispness around the outside.
But the wild rice flour had added an incredible something.
Not an overpowering flavor. Not something that shouted for attention. Rather, a subtle depth and complexity that made the whole muffin more interesting.
The blueberries and cranberries contributed little bursts of fruity tartness, balancing the sweetness of the apple, brown sugar, and honey.
It was one of those happy kitchen discoveries when a relatively small change makes a surprisingly large difference.
And I wouldn't change a thing.
Wild Rice Morning Glory Muffins with Blueberries & Cranberries
Yield: 6 generously sized muffins
Oven temperature: 350°F (175°C)
Baking time: Approximately 22–27 minutes
Ingredients
67 grams whole-wheat pastry flour
17 grams traditionally harvested, wood-parched wild rice flour
3 grams baking soda (about ⅗ teaspoon)
⅗ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
1 large egg plus approximately 2 teaspoons beaten egg (to keep these vegan, use liquid JUST Egg ... 4 -1/2 tablespoons)
¼ cup plus 2½ teaspoons olive oil
Approximately 1¾ teaspoons honey
42 grams packed dark brown sugar
⅓ cup grated apple
¼ cup plus 2½ teaspoons grated carrot
3 tablespoons dried blueberries and cranberries, combined
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease six muffin cups or prepare them with liners.
In a bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat pastry flour, wild rice flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the 'egg', olive oil, honey, and brown sugar.
Stir the grated apple, carrot, and dried berries into the wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
Let the batter stand for 5 minutes to allow the flours to hydrate. If it seems unusually stiff, add a teaspoon or two of water or apple juice/cider.
Divide the batter evenly among six muffin cups.
Bake for approximately 22–27 minutes, checking at 22 minutes. The muffins are done when their tops spring back gently and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without wet batter.
Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to preserve those lightly crisp edges.
A Note About the Wild Rice
If you're fortunate enough to find traditionally harvested and wood-parched manoomin flour, it's worth trying. Purchasing directly from Indigenous harvesters or Indigenous-owned producers, when possible, is a meaningful way to support the communities who have stewarded these traditions for generations. I purchase mine from Native Wise LLC.
For this recipe, I recommend beginning with the 20 percent substitution rather than increasing it immediately. Wild rice flour doesn't contain gluten, and using too much could alter the delicate balance of moisture and tenderness.
The Joy of Still Discovering
One of the things I love most about cooking is that there's always something new to learn. Even after decades in the kitchen, an unfamiliar ingredient can surprise me. A small experiment can become a new favorite. And a recipe that was already perfectly good can become something memorable.
These muffins are proof.
And thanks to my daughter's persistence, I now have the recipe written down.
Sometimes a little nagging is a very good thing.
Happy baking!
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