[Bit]

LOL, Sun! I think Ursy and I play off each other quite nicely.

Originally Posted by Sun

Applesauce and honey will impact the rise. Did you mix the wet ingredients first and then mix in the dry? This can help to avoid over mixing, which I do all the time btw. Yep denser is a great word. lol
....OK bakers, what do you think that Blue can do with this recipe to add natural sugar and keep the rise?

Are you using enough baking powder, Blue? Usually it takes one teaspoon per cup of flour.

What kind of applesauce? What's in it? If it's commercial apple puree--yanno, the stuff in jars--it probably has too much liquid in it. You can drain it like you do yogurt to thicken it up and get some of that excess water out, or you can reduce the other liquid in the recipe.

Is this a substitution recipe, one that was originally meant for butter and sugar? It might be better to find a recipe that was specifically developed for applesauce and honey. The honey substitution for sugar is not one-to-one, and again, you have to reduce the liquid.

I find the Baker's Banter Blog a treasure trove of information, and they have a baker's helpline that you can call during business hours to ask questions about things like this. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/new-zealand-bran-muffins-recipe Here is a bran muffin recipe that is extremely flexible, judging by the commentary. I would DEFINITELY flip the proportions of flour and bran--that is a HUGE amount of bran for twelve muffins--and if you need a substitute for butter I would try either coconut oil or applesauce. With all that bran, it might be loads better not to drain the applesauce, actually; bran absorbs a lot of liquid.

I found that recipe by typing applesauce and honey into this search engine. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/SearchByIngredient