Advanced Quickbreads Independent Living 2

What defines a “quick bread?” It’s quick to make and quick to bake! It uses leavening which acts quickly. Examples of quickbread leavenings are: ◦ Steam- when water is in a very hot oven ◦ Baking soda plus an acid (such as lemon juice), which gives off carbon dioxide bubbles.) ◦ Baking powder- which is baking soda plus two different acids

Types of Batters- Pour Batter It uses a 1 to 1 ratio of flour to liquids Examples are crepes, pancakes, popovers, and funnel cakes

Drop Batter It uses a 2 to 1 ratio of flour to liquids. Examples are muffins, loaf breads, coffee cakes and drop biscuits.

Soft Dough It uses a 3 to 1 ratio of flour to liquids. Examples are rolled biscuits and scones.

Firm Dough It uses anywhere from a 4 to 1 to a 7 to 1 ratio of flour to liquid. Examples include tortillas and pie crust. Most yeast breads (covered in the next unit) have a 4 to 1 ratio of flour to liquid.

First, a quick lesson on what is in dough. As you combine the flour with a liquid, the protein in the flour forms a strong, elastic, rubbery substance called gluten. The longer you stir or knead the dough, the stronger and more elastic the gluten gets! Some recipes call for kneading the dough, like for pizza. The gluten in this is strong. Others call for little stirring, as with muffins. The gluten in this is weak.

How to see the gluten: First, knead the dough 10 min.

Next, soak the dough in cold water.

As it soaks, the starch goes into the water, leaving the gluten.

As it is rinsed, the dough shrinks. Starch is washed down the sink.

Close-up view of gluten, which makes the dough strong and elastic

Compare the dough before to the gluten after rinsing. How much starch is in flour?

When the leavening forms carbon dioxide bubbles….. They get trapped in the tough strands of gluten within the quickbread. As they heat, those bubbles of carbon dioxide expand. In the case of popovers, the liquid in the batter turns to steam, which expands within the gluten.

The heat of the oven or pan….. then sets the expanded gluten, leaving a baked good that is full of small air bubbles.

Ingredients and Their Purposes A. Flour – gives STRUCTURE B. Sugar – SWEETENS the taste and BROWNS the crust C. Fat – may be liquid or solid. It TENDERIZES the texture. D. Liquid- combines with the protein in the flour, allowing the GLUTEN to form. It also BINDS the ingredients together. E. Leavening- allows the bread to RISE. F. Eggs- give it protein and STRUCTURE.

What would happen: If a quickbread had NO leavening in it?

If a quick bread had too much leavening in it?

If a quick bread had rye flour in it, which has very little gluten?

If a quick bread had too much sugar in it?

If muffins had no fat in them?

If banana bread was cooked in too small a pan?

If the oven was not preheated, and the cookies were placed into a cold oven, instead of a preheated oven?

If scones were not baked long enough?

Here are cream puff ingredients 1 cup water ½ cup butter or margarine 1 cup all-purpose flour ¼ tsp salt 4 eggs Do you see any leavening? Steam leavens. This recipe calls for long periods of mixing.

Here is a baked cream puff Notice that the inside is hollow, and the outside has enough structure not to collapse. You fill the inside with yummy stuff!

What happened to these puffs?

How important is it to follow directions?!

Methods of Preparing Quick Breads Muffin Method of Mixing And Biscuit Method of Mixing

Muffin Method- used for pour and drop batters 1. Measure all the dry ingredients and place in a bowl. Make a well in it.

1. Measure all the liquid ingredients (including melted fat) in another bowl and combine.

1. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients all at once and quickly combine in a few strokes. Do not overmix!

Biscuit Method- For soft/firm doughs 1.Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir. 2.Cut in solid fat until small fat particles are coated with flour. 3.Stir in the liquid ingredients. (Sometimes the dough is kneaded)

Read the article on quick bread basics in your worksheet packet. Use this information to fill in the blanks on the worksheet.