Serves: 5
Quick breads are just that-quick and easy to make. Because they don’t rely on yeast to rise, they really live up to their name! It takes just minutes to stir up a batch of pancakes or waffles, muffins, nut bread, biscuits or scones.
What makes quick breads so quick? It’s the baking soda and double-acting baking powder that gets them going. When leavening meets liquid in a batter or dough, carbon dioxide (a harmless gas) is given off, forming tiny bubbles that create a framework for the bread. This reaction happens not once but twice: once during mixing and again during baking. To make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh, check the container for an expiration date. Buy only a small container so you’ll use it up quickly.
Pans and Pan Preparation
To make golden and tender crusts, use shiny pans and cookie sheets.
Dark pans or pans with dark nonstick coating absorb heat easier than shiny pans watch breads so they don’t get too brown. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for both baking and greasing. Many pan makers suggest reducing the oven temperature by 25°, and some recommend not greasing or using any cooking spray.
If you’re using insulated pans, you may need to increase the baking time slightly.
When making muffins and quick bread loaves, usually only the bottoms of the pans are greased so that the batter doesn’t form a lip (overhanging or hard, dry edges) around the edge during baking.
Mixing Quick Breads
Mix according to each recipe’s instruction some batters are mixed until smooth, others until the ingredients are just moistened. But one thing’s the same: If you mix quick breads too much, they become tough.
For butter or margarine, we recommend using the stick form. You also can use the stick form of vegetable oil spreads that have at least 65 percent fat, although the batter consistency may be slightly softer.
For quick breads, we don’t recommend using vegetable oil spreads with less than 65 percent fat, reduced-fat butter or any tub or whipped product, whether it’s spread, butter or margarine. Because they contain more water and less fat, you’ll end up with a bread that’s tough and wet or gummy.
Baking Quick Breads
Bake quick breads on the oven rack placed in the center of the oven, unless noted otherwise in the recipe, for best heat circulation.
Ovens vary, so check for doneness at the minimum baking time if the bread isn’t done, bake for another 1 to 2 minutes before checking again.
Remove quick breads from the pan to a wire rack for cooling shortly after they finish baking this gives them a dry, crisp surface. If left in the pan, the surface will end up steamed and soft.
Tips for Muffins
Grease only the bottoms of the muffin cups with shortening for nicely shaped muffins with rounded tops and no overhanging edges. For some recipes, you may have to grease the whole cup so the muffins won’t stick. Better yet, use paper baking cups for easy baking, easy cleanup.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until the flour is moistened. Muffin batter should be lumpy. If you mix the batter too much, the muffins will turn out tough with pointed tops instead of nice rounded ones.
Take the guesswork out of filling muffin cups: Use a spring-handled ice-cream scoop! The different scoop sizes are identified by a number we recommend a No. 20 or 24. After filling the cups, be sure to wipe up any batter spills on the pan so they don’t burn.
When muffins are done, take them out of the muffin pan immediately so they don’t get soggy. Muffins baked in paper cups should lift right out. Otherwise, loosen the muffins with a knife or metal spatula, then lift them out. Sometimes a recipe will specify that muffins be left in the pan for a few minutes before removing. This lets
fragile muffins set up or the sides to steam a bit so the muffins are easier to remove.
Specialty Muffins
Convert your favorite twelve-muffin recipe to mini or jumbo muffins or to regular or jumbo muffin tops using the guidelines below. After you’ve figured out the bake times for your muffin recipe, note it on the recipe for future use.
The bake times for the specialty muffins have quite a range-sometimes up to 10 minutes from the suggested minimum time to the maximum. Always check at the minimum time to see if the muffins are done, then check every minute or two until done.
Muffin batters with large pieces of nuts, fruit or chocolate work better as medium or jumbo muffins because the pieces are too big for mini muffins. For mini muffins, use miniature chips and small pieces of fruit and nuts.
Muffin batters that are very rich work better as mini muffins because a larger muffin may be too much of a good thing for one serving.
Pans for baking muffin tops often have a dark nonstick surface. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions to see if reducing the oven temperature by 25° is recommended.
Muffin Cures
Great Muffins Are:
Golden brown
Slightly rounded with bumpy tops
Tender and light
Even-textured with medium, round holes
Moist inside
Easy to remove from the pan
Problem: Possible Cause:
Pale muffins - oven too cool
Peaked and smooth tops - too much mixing
Tough and heavy - too much flour
- too much mixing
Uneven texture with - too much mixing
long holes or tunnels
Dry - too much flour
- oven too hot
- baked too long
Stick to pan - pan not properly greased
Dark crust but - oven too hot
center not done
From "Betty Crocker's Complete Cookbook, Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition." Text Copyright 2000 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This QUICK BREAD BASICS recipe is from the Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 9th Edition Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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