Quick Breads

Happy Saturday to all. Today's blog is about quick breads.

There is not too much difference between muffins and quick breads. Both are relatively simple to make. Quick breads, however, are generally in a loaf shape and take longer to bake due to the shape and quantity. Of course, recipes will slightly differ as well.

Besides muffins, the quick breads category also includes biscuits, coffee cakes, popovers, pancakes, and waffles. Today I will be addressing the loaf shaped, generally sweet, breads that most of us think of as quick breads. Those include Banana Bread, which many of you are familiar with, Date Nut Bread, Zucchini Bread, and many other tasty treats.

In my blog regarding muffins I mentioned the quick leavening agents of baking powder and baking soda. To go into further detail, baking powder is a combination of baking soda and usually cream of tartar. Baking powder starts to produce gas bubbles as soon as they come in contact with the wet ingredients. Therefore, as with muffins, quick breads are made by mixing first the dry ingredients, then adding the wet ingredients.

Some recipes will include buttermilk as an ingredient. Last week, for example, I gave you a recipe for Bran Muffins that included buttermilk. Buttermilk was originally the product left behind from the butter making process. It is slightly acidic but gives a pleasant taste when blended with sugar. If you do not have buttermilk on hand you can make a close substitute in taste by adding 1 tsp. lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk and let stand for a few minutes before using.

Before starting your baking, have all your ingredients and equipment ready to start. Loaf pans come in several sizes. In general, most recipes call for the standard 9" x 5" pan. For those of you following this blog in Europe please note that there are equivalent sizes in the metric system that are close to the 9 " x 5 " size, so you will want to choose that. Preparation of the loaf pans is slightly more involved than muffins. To prepare the pans, use butter to thoroughly coat the bottom and sides with, then pour in some flour and shake thoroughly the flour around to completely cover the butter. Invert the pans over a garbage area and shake off the excess.

You should place your batter filled loaf pans in the center of the oven, allowing space between the pans. When baked, allow the bread to cool slightly. Although muffins are best eaten right after they are made, the sweeter loaf quick breads are generally best the next day when their flavors have developed. Quick breads also freeze well, making them perfect for making ahead for busy holidays or to take advantage of a bumper crop of fresh fruit. To freeze, simply wrap tightly in plastic zip lock bags, plastic wrap, freezer paper, or plastic containers, squeezing out as much air as possible. The frozen breads keep well in your freezer for up to six months.

When selecting a recipe, I like to make my choice based on what is available locally in the market. For example, if blueberries are season, you might want to make Blueberry Bread. Or, if you have some home grown zucchini, Zucchini Bread is a great way to use up that abundance of vegetable the zucchini plants are noted for. If fact, it is a great way to get your children to eat a vegetable; my children growing up would never eat cooked zucchini; but, put it in Zucchini Bread, and "voila".

Selecting your recipe by what is in season or available locally will ensure that your baked goods will have the best possible taste, and will generally provide some economic savings as well. In addition, it gives you reason to appreciate the seasons and all that they have to offer. During this week go out to the store (or your garden if you have one) and find out what fruits are in season for making quick breads.

Next Week: A couple of Quick Bread recipes

Additional Post, Muffins

Happy Spring to all of you. I wanted to mention a few more things about my muffin recipes I posted yesterday before moving on next week to Quick Breads.

Please note that yesterday I put up two separate posts. Each one is a recipe. I felt that separating them would better allow to print each separately if you so choose. So, if you only read the topmost post for Bran Muffins, please scroll down to the Blueberry Muffin recipe post as well. I will be doing that format when posts are recipes.

In regards to Blueberry Muffins, you may substitute other berries such as cherries or strawberries. Delicate berries such as raspberries or blackberries taste great too. Keep in mind, however, that the more delicate berries will color the muffin throughout.

If you have a request for a particular muffin recipe, let me know. I will do my best to either provide you with one of mine, or do the research for you.

Have a wonderful Sunday; hopefully it will include warm muffins.

Old Fashioned Bran Muffins

You can check out a multitude of cookbooks and cooking magazines to find a plethora of fancy and tasty muffin recipes, and I encourage you to do so. Many great recipes can be found that way. What is harder to find these days are the basic wholesome recipes we may remember from our childhood. With that in mind I wish to share a back to basics recipe that is also delicious.

Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 cups whole-bran cereal
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (Note: if you prefer, you may substitute whole milk for the buttermilk)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin pan cups with paper liners.
2. Sift flour with baking powder, soda, and salt into medium bowl. Add bran and raisins and mix well.
3. In large bowl of electric mixer, at medium speed, cream butter with sugar until light and creamy. Beat in egg.
4. At slow speed, stir in flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Batter should be slightly lumpy.
5. Pour batter into muffin pan cups, filling approximately 2/3 full.
6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.

Makes 1 dozen

Next Week: Quick Breads

Dori's Blue Ribbon Blueberry Muffins

Readers,

I won't be sharing all my award winning recipes with you during the upcoming posts, but I will share a few as a reward for being devoted followers. Here is one that one the Blue Ribbon (first place award) in a local county fair two years in a row).

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted flour (Note: do not use pe-sifted flour)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup pure salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries, washed and drained

Directions:

1. Peheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line standard sized muffin pan cups with paper muffin liners.
3. Sift flour with baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. In large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat butter with sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
5. At low speed, beat in flour mixture and milk.
6. With rubber or silicone scraper gently fold in blueberries.
7. Fill each muffin cup with the batter.
8. Bake about 20 minutes, or until knife gently inserted into top comes up slightly dry.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

The next post in a few minutes will be another muffin recipe for you to try.

Muffins

Muffins are relatively simple to make, and so delicious to eat. They are generally not too sweet, making them a wonderful treat that goes great with breakfast, coffee, or as a snack. Personally I think one of the best indulgences is to enjoy a muffin right after it comes out of the oven, slightly warm, especially on a cold winter day.

The variety of muffins is almost endless, especially when you add your own creative touch to a recipe. Types of muffins range from the healthy such as bran or carrot muffins, bread like muffins such as corn muffins, cake-like muffins either plain or filled with berries, or fancy muffins that have cream style fillings or streusel toppings. Which ever you choose, the baking method is generally the same.

Muffins are considered a "quick bread", meaning that they do not include yeast and the resulting lengthy preparation time. Instead the leavening agent is either baking soda or baking powder. Since baking soda and baking powder have a short shelf life, I recommend changing out those products with fresh ones every six months. That will ensure proper rising and resulting good texture. Mixing of the ingredients involves stirring all the dry ingredients together in one bowl first, then adding the wet ingredients and mixing for only a short period of time. Don't worry about lumps; they will dissipate out during baking. The adding wet to dry method shortens the time the leavening agent comes in contact with the rest of the ingredients, creating rising bubbles that will do their job without "fizzling out". For some recipes there is an additional technique of "creaming" the butter and sugar together. Creaming involves mixing, either by hand, hand mixer, or stand mixer, room temperature butter (not margarine) and sugar together, creating a velvety smooth texture.

There are cupcake/muffin pans on the market for every size of muffin you desire. The sizes range from mini muffins to giant muffins, to muffin tops. I recommend starting with the average size cups in the muffin pan. The average size has receptacles for 12 muffins. This size will accommodate most of your recipes. Preparation of the muffin cups is quick and simple, making it another reason why muffins are easy to make. Don't bother with buttering and flouring the cups. Instead have a supply of the cupcake/muffin paper liners on hand and simply insert in the the cups. The papers come in different colors and textures, making your baked product pretty in addition to easy to remove from the pans and easy to handle and eat. There is a newer product out that also eliminates the butter/flour preparation of the pans which are called silicone liners. However, while silicone makes that part of the job easy, it does nothing for the attractiveness or ease of eating afterwards that paper liners afford.

When removing your muffins to slightly cool, beware if there are family members around; you just might not get any! Years ago I had made some Blueberry Muffins and left them in the kitchen to cool before enjoying them. In the meantime, I left the house for a quick errand. When I returned the entire batch of 12 muffins were gone. My son sampled one, and then went on to finish the entire batch! As you can see, baking muffins for your family to enjoy can provide memories, including funny ones.

Next week: A couple of Muffin Recipes for you to try

The Art of Baking; Practical and Philosophical Tips. By Dori Basaraba

A few years ago my daughter asked me for my pie and other recipes. She most likely wanted to preserve what is lost to too many families; those cherished favorite dishes from relatives passed on that no one has the recipe for or can recreate. Now, let me reassure you that I am going nowhere just yet. Still, she makes a good case. One of the best legacies is for one's recipes to live on for generations now and to come. With that in mind I have proceeded to type and share recipes with loved ones, family, and friends.

Some of my recipes are quite simple in ingredient and/or technique. Yet, for some the results will vary, as is often the case for those fortunate to acquire their mom's, grandmothers', aunts' or whomever's recipes. That is because baking is an art, the baker an artist. This is where the term culinary arts came into being. I would like to illustrate that concept and present tips to make your baking a masterpiece that you and your family deserve.

First one must have desire. One cannot take a recipe, follow it with lack of enthusiasm, and expect great results. One might achieve acceptable results, maybe, or perhaps edible results, but not great results. To illustrate, the painter Leonardo DaVinci, had he painted the Mona Lisa on an "off" day, and with lackluster effort, the painting might not have ended up with the world famous smile we now enjoy. To put it in everyday terms you can relate to, let me share the true story of "Mashed Potatoes" with you.

I am the daughter of an executive chef. Perhaps some of his inspiration and talent spilled over to me because I love to bake, and I love to make gourmet meals and elaborate holiday feasts. However, I abhor making every day meals. I would rather go out to eat at a restaurant every day than make the mundane such as hamburgers...or mashed potatoes. My mashed potatoes come out like wall paper paste every tme. Why? It is because I do not put any passion into making them. I follow the recipe, but the desire is not there. Therefore, as the computer saying goes, GIGO, or "garbage in, garbage out"; wall paper paste mashed potatoes. So, before you tackle any of my recipes, or anyone else's for that matter, get passionate about it, or get out the the kitchen!

The second point, or tip, to making a quality product from a recipe you will find in any cookbook but may not have heeded, and that is in regards to equipment. Now there is a certain amount of leeway one could use depending upon their preference or experience. However, if a recipe calls for a 9" pie plate, the baking time, height of the pie, and taste will vary if you try to use a deep dish pie plate or a cake pan. So, if the desire is in place, and you don't have the listed equipment, go out and buy what is needed. Now, yes, it is not impossible to make a cheesecake without a springform pan. try to get the finished cheesecake out of anaything else, though, and you will quickly understand the wisdom of the right utensil for the right baked product.

I prefer to use glass pie plates which I feel results in a superior product, but that's me. your opinion, and results, may vary. Another preference I have is in regards to baking cookies on cookie sheets. I was recently queried as to whether the cookie sheet should be buttered. Butter has a lower melting point and therefore burns. So may the bottoms of your cookies burn. Again, a matter of preference, but there are so many choices out there now to resolve the problem. Parchment paper cut in the size and shape of the cookie sheet or the newer silicone liners work well.

The last point in regards to quality baking is to use quality ingredients and spices. A chef, the artist that he or she is, can create a dish from any food of any quality. What makes the difference between food that a chef prepares for a family dinner or food that is prepared for a fine restaurant is the ingredients used. To produce a masterpiece of a meal, the chef will select fresh ingredients and the best type of ingredient for the recipe. Careful selection is also made in regards to spices, extracts, and other seasonings used. Not all spices and extracts are the same. One can purchase inexpensive artificially flavored extracts, but the taste will be "off". Even pure extracts vary depending upon the amount of alcohol used in the manufacture, and in the case of vanilla extract, where the vanilla bean was grown. Personally, I like the vanilla extracts produced from the beans grown in Madagascar. There are a few brands that offer this type of extract, albeit expensive, yet worth the cost for the flavor produced.

Much has been written about spices and herbs. Advice is plentiful, and true, about using ground spices that are no older than 6 months or a year at most. The flavor dissipates as the spice lingers in your cabinet. Again, older spices provide acceptable taste, but not necessarily the best. The origin where the spices are grown also makes a difference, much like grapes grown for wine are. There are several purveyors of fine spices which are often sold in gourment food stores. Keep in mind, to use another artisticc illustration, that if Michelangelo used a cheaper, possible more common medium such as clay rather than Italian marble, we might not have the beautiful sculpture today the world knows as the Pieta.

You are now armed with a few tips for making the difference between, say, an average apple pie, or a great one, both from the same recipe. So, do you want a masterpiece of an apple pie, or do you want "mashed potatoes"? Remember, if you are going to spend your time baking, do so with passion (unless of course you view it as a chore, in which case visit your local bakery). Get the right utensils called for, buy the best ingredients, and viva la difference!

Next week: Muffins