Quick Breads

Quick Breads…  Flour mixtures with a fast-acting leavening agent.  Do not have as much sugar & flavoring as cake or other desserts.

3 Types of Quick Breads…  Pour Batter  Ratio of flour to liquid is 1:1  Examples: waffles, pancakes, popovers  Uses: breakfast, brunch, snacks  Drop Batter  Ratio of flour to liquid is 2:1  Examples: muffins, biscuits, coffee cake, fruit breads  Uses: breakfast, brunch, dinner, desserts  Soft Dough  Ratio of flour to liquid is 3:1  Examples: biscuits, doughnuts, scones, coffee cakes  Uses: breakfast, brunch, dinner, dessert

Quick Bread Ingredients…  Flour  All-purpose is the one most commonly used  When mixed with liquid, flour produces gluten protein from 2 other proteins: gliadin & glutenin  Cornmeal & whole wheat flour are also used  Liquid  Dissolves dry ingredients  Adds flavor & causes browning (milk)  Examples:  Milk  Buttermilk  Dry/evaporated milk (reconstituted)  Water  Fruit Juice

Other Ingredients…  Fat  Types  Oil  Vegetable Shortening  Butter  Margarine  Lard (pork fat)  Functions:  Tenderness  Flavor  Browning/appearance  Eggs  Bind ingredients as they coagulate  Color, texture, & nutrition  Salt for flavor  Sugar  Browning  Flavor  Color  Brown sugar  Molasses

Leavening Agents  4 Types of leavening agents in quick breads  Baking soda  Baking powder  Steam  Air (carbon dioxide)

Leavening Agents Cont.  Chemical leavening agents  An acid-base chemical reaction produces bubbles  Double-acting & Fast-acting  Bubbles start to form in the mixing bowl  Slow-acting  Bubbles form with the addition of heat (oven)  Baking Powder  Baking soda + an acid (cream of tartar) + cornstarch  Steam and air leaven popovers & cream puffs

Nutrition…  Quick Breads have…  Carbohydrates (starch & sugar)  Vitamins (TRIN)-Flour is enriched with these  Thiamin  Riboflavin  Iron  Niacin  Fruit  Fiber (whole grain muffins)

Principles of Quick Bread Preparation…  2 main principles 1.Gluten formation  Liquid + flour = gluten  Gluten forms mesh-like structure surrounding leavening gasses  Gas expands  gluten stretches  Oven heat coagulates & sets the gluten protein 2. Activation of leavening agent  Chemical reaction of leavening agent

Methods of Preparation…  Muffin Method  Mix & sift dry ingredients  Mix/beat together liquid, eggs, fat/oil  Pour liquid into “well” in dry ingredients  Mix only enough to dampen dry ingredients  Do not overmix  Biscuit Method  Mix/sift dry ingredients  “Cut-in” solid fat  Pastry blender  Crumble with fingers  Grate in frozen butter  Add liquid & toss and stir with a fork  Knead for a short time  Roll, cut, & bake

Characteristics of Muffins…  High Quality Muffins  Thin, evenly-browned crust  Top is symmetrical, but it looks rough  Texture inside is uniform  Crumb is tender and light  Poor Quality Muffins  Overmixing  Overproduced gluten = tough bread  Peaked top  Pale with a slick crust  Tunnels are visible inside muffin  Undermixing = low volume, flat top

Characteristics of Biscuits…  High Quality Biscuits  Even shape with a smooth & level top  Straight sides & an evenly browned crust  The interior is white to creamy-white  Crumb is moist & fluffy and peels off in layers  Poor Quality Biscuits  Overmixing  Low volume and a rounded top  Top is smooth  Crumb is tough and compact  Undermixing  Low volume  Rounded top with a slightly rough crust  Tender crumb

Storage…  1-2 days at room temperature  Freeze well  Use a moisture-proof wrap