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Lickity Split: Versatile quick breads deliver full flavor fast
• by By Emily Thomson • Photos by Allyson Mace
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My grandma is a baking grandma. No matter what, when I go to her house, I’m greeted by a hug, a kiss on both cheeks and a plateful of whatever she’s making – pumpkin pie, peanut butter cookies or banana bread. I can’t go over to that house on a full stomach, it just isn’t allowed.
Growing up, I was taught how to make the tried-and-true banana bread by my grandma, Pat Politte. And once I perfected that, I found myself hungry for more. Luckily, quick bread can do just about anything, opening up a world of opportunity.
Basic bread
Quick bread, as the name suggests, is quick. (Think cornbread, soda bread, biscuits, scones.) Unlike yeasted bread, which takes hours to rise, quick bread is leavened with baking soda and/or baking powder. These chemical leaveners allow the bread to start rising as soon as the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together.
“It’s simple to make,” said Agi Groff, pastry chef and co-owner of 4 Seasons Baked Goods and Catering. “It’s easily done by hand … and nice for the homemaker, convenient.”
From banana bread to zucchini bread, most quick breads follow a similar recipe and are made the same way. “Basically, you can use the same recipe for any of these. It’s versatile,” Politte said. “Sugar, eggs, oil and whatever you’re gonna put in it.”
The wet ingredients are combined in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another. Then they are added together. “The biggest trick is not to overwork the batter,” said Beth Thompson, owner of Ferguson’s Cose Dolci Bakery. Lumpy dough is best because mixing the batter too much activates gluten, which will make the bread tougher.
The main thing to remember when making quick bread is to experiment and have fun. “You can’t ruin quick bread,” Politte said with a laugh. “It might not rise, but you can’t ruin the taste.”
Nor are quick breads bound by the standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. “If you have the batter, play around with shapes,” Groff said. Smaller 3-by-6-inch pans make miniloaves that are great to bring for lunches or give as gifts. Bundt pans can also create an interesting bread shape for a gathering or party. Quick bread recipes can also be used to make muffins, though the baking time will have to be shortened.
Mix and match
Quick breads get their flavor from whatever’s added to the basic batter, making them the perfect way to showcase seasonal produce. Whether chopped, puréed or grated, fruits – both dried and fresh – add flavor and texture to quick breads. Nuts, spices and citrus zest can also be included, according to Groff.
Most recipes call for finely chopped nuts and mashed fruits or vegetables, but it really depends on your own style. If you like having a crunch to your bread, you can leave the nuts in larger pieces, or if you like chunks of banana in your bread, you can choose not to mash as thoroughly. “You can jazz it up however you want,” Thompson said.
“I like making quick bread, though, because it’s quick and you can do all kinds of things with it,” agreed Politte, who has turned out breads like apple-cranberry and chocolate chip-pumpkin. Yet, Politte still enjoys the plain varieties. “I like simple; I like ones that don’t call for a whole lot of stuff.”
Thompson makes both sweet and savory breads at her bakery, and the popularity of the latter has caught up to that of the sweet varieties, she said. Some of her fall breads include orange-cranberry, banana, cinnamon crumb and pumpkin-cranberry breads. “It’s all about the comfort food,” she said. “Banana bread is still a big seller because it’s a comfort food.”
“The thing about quick breads is that for a lot of people, it reminds them of them growing up and their mothers making banana-nut bread,” agreed Groff. Her specialty breads for the fall include pumpkin, ginger, apple and spice, pear and cranberry-orange.
But versatile quick breads aren’t limited to fruits; they can easily go beyond the comfort-food label by including savory elements such as sweet potato, sausage, chile peppers and cheese, among others.
No matter which way you make your quick bread or what you put in it, it will quickly become a family favorite. In my family, quick breads disappear as quickly as they’re made. “It kinda goes. You make it and it goes,” Politte said.
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Pear and Ginger Bread
Courtesy of 4 Seasons Baked Goods and Catering’s Agi Groff
1 large loaf
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground or grated fresh ginger*
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups chopped pears**
1/4 cup crystallized ginger (optional)
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground ginger together in a bowl. (If using fresh ginger, it will be added later.)
• In a mixer, cream the butter with the sugar for 3 to 4 minutes until light and creamy. Add fresh ginger as well.
• Gradually beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract.
• Add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat just until incorporated.
• Fold in the pears and, if desired, the crystallized ginger.
• Scrape the batter into a greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 1 hour).
• Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before unmolding.
*Instead of ginger, try mixing toasted pecans or walnuts in with the pears.
**Any type of well-ripened, flavorful pear can be used. If pears aren’t in season, consider trying out these other combinations: cranberries with orange zest, blueberries with lemon zest, apples with cinnamon nutmeg and cloves. In each case, the second ingredient is substituted for the ginger.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Courtesy of Pat Politte
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3 1/3 cups flour
1½ cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups (16 oz.) chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (optional)
•Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
•Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl.
•Mix the contents of the two bowls together until moist.
•Stir in the chocolate chips and, if desired, the nuts.
•Pour the mixture into 2 greased medium loaf pans and bake them for 1 hour.
•Check the center of the loaves with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Cool the bread for 10 minutes before taking it out of the pans.
Cheddar-Herb Bread
Courtesy of Cose Dolci Bakery’s Beth Thompson
2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1∕4 tsp. baking soda
1½ Tbsp. honey
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
½ Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. dried herbs or Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
•Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
•Combine the buttermilk, egg, baking soda and honey and set aside.
•Mix the dry ingredients together, then stir in the shredded Cheddar cheese.
•Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry mixture and stir until well blended.
•Grease 1 large or 2 medium loaf pans and add the dough to the pan(s). The dough will be sticky.
•Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. (Large loaves may take longer to bake, it just depends on individual ovens.)
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