Quick Breads

1. Quick Breads Culinary Academy

2. Types of Quick Breads • Can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner. • Examples include: • Pancakes, biscuits, muffins, scones, waffles, and loaf breads. • Have a bread- or cake-like texture, but do not contain yeast. • Use a chemical leavening agent such as double-acting baking powder or baking soda. • Typically baked on sheet pans or in loaf or muffin pans.

3. Quick Bread Methods • The Biscuit Method • Requires cutting the fat into the dry ingredients until they resemble corn meal. • Liquid is then added • Produces flaky items such as biscuits. • The Blending Method • The liquid, sugar, fat, and eggs are combined first. • Dry ingredients are added to the mixture. • Commonly used for muffins and fruit breads.

4. Quick Bread Methods • Creaming Method • Uses solid rather than liquid fat. • Sugar and fat are creamed together until light and fluffy. • Eggs are added one at a time. • Dry and liquid ingredients are alternately added. • Muffins made with this method are more cake-like in texture.

5. Doughs and Batters • Quick breads can be made from soft doughs or batters. • Soft doughs are thicker in consistency than batters and can be rolled and cut. • Biscuits and scones are examples. • Batters can be pour or drop. • A pour batter is so thin it can be poured from the mixing bowl to the cookware. • A drop batter is usually so thick it needs to be scraped or dropped from a portion or ice cream scoop.

6. Biscuits • The biscuit method is used to mix biscuits. • Mixing is the key to good biscuits. • Mixing too much will produce a tough biscuit. • Biscuits should be allowed to rest for 10 minutes after they are shaped before they are baked. • Allows gluten to react and helps the chemical reaction of the leavening agents. • Should be baked in a very hot oven (400 – 425 degrees).

7. Biscuits • Quality biscuits should have the following: • Same size with flat tops and straight sides. • Golden brown crust with a creamy or flaky crumb. • Light tender and flaky texture, easy to separate into layers. • Pleasing, delicate flavor. • Can be enhanced by adding herbs, spices, cheese, etc. • Cool on wire racks and serve hot.

8. Muffins • Blending method is most often used to produce a drop batter. • Creaming method can also be used but is less common. • Avoid over-mixing. • Especially important when preparing pans. • Scrape batter downward from outer edge of mixing bowl to avoid while filling muffin cups.

9. Muffins • Divide batter evenly when filling pans to ensure same-size muffins. • A portion scoop will help with this. • Can top muffins with a variety of items. • Bake muffins immediately or they will lose volume. • Oven temperature should be between 385 and 400 degrees F. • Test for doneness by pressing on top of muffins. If springs back, it’s done. • Remove ovens from pan onto cooling racks, remove muffins to rack once warm.

10. Muffins • Good quality muffins: • Sides should not be too thick. • Tops should be rounded (dome shaped) and uniform in size. • Should have golden brown surface. • Grain should be even and crumb tender and moist – should NOT be filled with tunnels. • Sweet flavor with no bitter aftertaste.

11. Loaf Breads • Similar in preparation to muffins. • Mixing time is VERY important. • Made from drop or pour batter. • Baked product should have uniform texture with light brown crust. • Crumb should be tender and moist with top that is rounded or split down the middle.