Quick breads generally refer to any baked good not leavened by yeast or eggs. Typical leaveners used in quick breads are chemical leaveners, such as baking powder or baking soda. The quick chemical reaction of these leaveners allows the bread to be baked immediately.
Quick breads are staples in the American diet. Some examples of quick breads include biscuits, muffins, scones, banana bread, soda bread, and even pancakes and waffles. In the morning, you are likely to see a bigger selection of quick breads in the form of scones and muffins. Later in the day and into the evening, you are likely to see a wider variety of breads or cakes instead.
Why Sifting Matters
If you have ever tasted soap in your mouth, you can appreciate the need to sift dry ingredients. It used to be necessary to sift flour to remove little twigs or stones or other items that might have infiltrated it, but most flour is free of debris today. So, why does sifting matter, and what does this hove to do with soap?
Soap is alkaline, giving it a bitter taste. Baking soda is also alkaline, and tastes like soap. Baking soda tends to form small clumps, especially in humid conditions. Sifting the dry ingredients together forces the clumps of soda to break apart as they pass through the sieve. This prevents little clumps from remaining whole in the final product. One little clump of soda in a muffin will taste like a mouthful of soap-probably not the flavor you want.
In addition, sifting odds air to the flour, making it lighter and fluffier. This is important for many recipes, especially cakes and light baked goods.
Three types/methods of making quick breads
Muffin method (liquid / melted fat is used):
- This mixing method may be done by hand or done with a paddle attachment for larger-vomlues
- The fat is always a liquid/ melted
- Cornbread and blueberry muffins are examples of quick breads made using the muffin method. Pancakes are also mixed this way.
Biscuit method (solid fat is”cut” into flour by hand):
- This mixing method is best done by hand.
- The fat is always a solid fat and is mixed into flour into pea-sized pieces. It is often recommended that all ingredients are very cold
- Buttermilk biscuits, cornbread biscuits, and scones are examples of quick breads made using the biscuit method.
Creaming method (fat is creamed with sugar):
- This mixing method is best done with the aid of an electric mixer and a paddle attachment.
- The fat is a solid fat and is always mixed with sugar until creamy.
- Almost all cookies are examples of quick breads made using the creaming method.
RECIPES
Biscuit Method
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Servings 6
Ingredients
For the biscuits:
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
For The Topping:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Set rack in middle of oven; Preheat to 450℉.
- Line a ½ pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper.
- In a second bowl, whisk together buttermilk and butter.
- Pour mixture over dry ingredients and fold in using a spatula until moist. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Gently fold in cheese.
- Using a disher, scoop the batter evenly onto the prepared ½ sheet pan.
- Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- For the topping, whisk together butter, parsley and garlic powder in a small bowl.
- Brush the top of the biscuits with the butter mixture. Serve immediately.
Southern Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter very cold + 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons shortening chilled
- 1 cup buttermilk very cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, combine butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk.
- Stir JUST until the dough comes together.
- Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 2 or 3 times.
- Press into a 1 ½ inch thick round.
- Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough.
- Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting.
- Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Brush with melted butter
Sawmill Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Break sausage into small chunks and cook until well-browned. Remove sausage and reserve using a slotted spoon
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.
- Whisk flour into the fat and continue to cook over low heat for 5 minutes, making a basic roux.
- Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time.
- Return to medium-high heat and stir while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens. (Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan, that's where the flavor is!)
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add crumbled sausage and serve over buttermilk biscuits.
Notes
Traditionally, Sawmill gravy has a lot of cracked black pepper, usually coarsely ground. Do NOT use finely ground black pepper in this recipe.
Muffin Method
Apple Fritters
Ingredients
For the Fritters
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 2 whole Large Eggs
- ¾ cups Whole Milk
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
- 2 whole Granny Smith or similar Apple Peeled And Diced
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the glaze
- 1 ½ cup Powdered Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ cup Milk
Instructions
Make glaze:
- Wisk all ingredients thoroughly until no lumps remain.
Make batter:
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add milk, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Gently fold dry and wet ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix.) Fold in apples. Add enough apples to make a very chunky batter.
Set up Fry Station
- Heat a couple of inches of canola oil over medium to medium-low heat in a wide pan. Set up a draining station with a cooling rack set inside a sheet pan very close to where you will be frying. Preheat oven to 170 to keep finished fritters warm. Make sure the lid is nearby to smother oil fires if necessary.
Cook Fritters
- When the oil gets hot, drop a little batter into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and rises to the top, the oil is ready; if it boils rapidly and begins to burn, turn down the heat and allow to cool before proceeding.
- Drop teaspoons of batter into the hot oil, 3-4 at a time. Flip as necessary with a slotted spoon. Cook 2 to 2 ½ or until GBD
- Remove to drain board. Keep warm in oven while you finish the fritters.
- Drizzle fritters generously with glaze
Big Fat Yeast Rolls
Big Fat Yeast Rolls from Quincey's – an iconic side dish from one of America's oldest and most successful buffet chains (before they went out of business anyway).
Servings 20 2.5 oz rolls
Ingredients
- ½ cup very warm water 115 g
- 2 Tablespoons dry yeast 18 g
- ⅓ cup sugar 67 g
- 1 ⅔ cups warm whole milk 412 g
- 2 large egg slightly beaten room temperature, 73 g
- 2 tsp salt 14 g
- 5 tablespoons butter chopped and softened, 75.6 g
- 6 ½ cups all-purpose flour 780 g
HONEY BUTTER
- 4 Tablespoons butter softened
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 3 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Make Honey Butter: Combine all ingredients. Stir until creamy. Reserve at room temperature to keep soft.
- In a small bowl add warm water.
- Sprinkle in the yeast and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar.
- Stir gently until combined.
- Proof until foamy.
- Pour yeast mixture into a large bowl and add remaining sugar, warm milk, salt, and butter.
- Mix until well combined. Add half the flour and knead for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Add the rest of the flour, ½ cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. The dough should be soft and elastic, but not sticky. Knead for 5 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a large, greased bowl.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- After rising time has passed, divide the dough into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and place it on a half sheet pan covered with parchment paper, sprayed lightly with Pam.
- Brush rolls with honey butter.
- Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area until rolls are doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Remove plastic wrap and bake for 14-20 minutes or until golden.
- Brush hot rolls with leftover honey butter.
Notes
The Big Fat Yeast roll was so popular… it starred in commercials and was available as a stuffed toy.
