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Baking Expert
Catherine Christiansen
Quick Breads
and Muffins
Better living though chemistry. Quick breads rely on chemical leavening rather than yeast to help them expand during baking. They’re called “quick” because they can simply be mixed and popped in the oven, unlike yeast breads which require one or more long rising periods for the dough to develop correctly.
These treasures are quick to put together—and quick to be eaten. The only waiting occurs when the loaves are in the oven, filling autumn rooms with the warm brown smells of baking.
Quick breads are usually baked in loaf pans, but similar batter can also be made into muffins, cornbread, waffles and pancakes. Below are three favorite quick bread recipes that never let me down, and always fly off the shelves at bakeries and cafes. Knowing a few key facts will help you enjoy the same success:
Leavening
Baking soda and baking powder are the standard leavenings used in quick breads. When combined with an acid such as buttermilk, baking soda (also called bicarbonate of soda) will release carbon dioxide, making bubbles. Those lovely bubbles elevate the other ingredients in the batter, causing the loaves to rise. Remember the awesome volcanoes we made in science class with vinegar and Arm & Hammer? Same principle, with a much more appetizing result.
Acidic ingredients are varied, and include vinegar, molasses, pumpkin, sour cream, yogurt and chocolate to name just a few. If there are very few or no acidic ingredients in the batter, the recipe usually calls for baking powder instead of soda (or in some cases, both).
Baking powder is baking soda that has been hopped up with powdered acid. Just add liquid, and the bubbling reaction occurs. Most baking powder is double-acting, which means that it contains two acids; one that works on contact with liquid, another when the batter is baked. This double action helps improve the texture of finished baked goods.
You may want to check the expiration dates on your baking soda and baking powder. If they’re expired, throw them out or use them for something other than baking.
Mixing
The key to tender, delicious quick breads (and all of their cousins like muffins and pancakes) is to mix the batter gently, stopping immediately once the ingredients are blended. Many recipes call for creaming the heck out of the butter and sugar first, which is no problem. But once the flour is added, gentle handling is critical. Overmixing develops the flour’s gluten and will result in tough bread. In addition to mixing gently, adding wet and dry ingredients alternately also helps prevent excessive gluten development. Always start and end with the dry ingredients.
Baking
Make sure your oven is preheated and that the breads are in the center of the oven. If the bread is gets too brown on top, tent with aluminum foil. Glass pans bake faster than metal, so reduce the baking time and keep an eye on the loaves if you’re using glass.
SIDEBARS
Did You Know?
Baking soda is a naturally occurring substance. Almost all of the baking soda in the U.S. comes from Green River, Wyoming, home of giant deposits of trona, or sodium sesquicarbonate. Trona is mined, processed into soda ash, then dissolved in water and bubbled with carbon dioxide, forming sodium-bicarbonate crystals. After that, into the yellow box it goes.
Substituting
Since baking powder is actually just baking soda plus acid, it’s easy to make it yourself. Here’s the magic formula: One part baking soda and one part cornstarch to two parts cream of tartar. So, if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon baking powder, combine 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.
Pumpkin Bread
recipe
Grandma's Banana Bread recipe
Refrigerator
Bran Muffins recipe
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