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QUICK BREAD
Quick breads are bread type products that are leavened with baking powder and baking soda instead of yeast. It include muffins, biscuits, scones, cornbread, and quick loaf breads like banana bread and zucchini bread. Quick breads also a type of bread that is takes very little time to make and is most often prepared with a batter instead of a dough. The rising agent in the bread reacts quickly when mixed with moisture and heat, causing the bread to rise without having to set for a long period of time. Also, it has a category in baking referring to bread type products that are made with chemical leavening (baking powder and/or baking soda) instead of yeast.
Quick breads are prepared with flour, eggs, sugar, fats and liquids including milk, buttermilk, or sour cream, and each plays a part in the overall texture and flavor of the finished product.
Flour adds structure to the bread but the batter must be mixed minimally so that the gluten structure doesn’t develop too much.
Fats are added for richness and flavor, and when creamed with sugar, they trap air creating lightness in the batter.
Sugar, in addition to its interaction with fats, adds flavor, color, and aids in the tenderization of the batter.
Eggs provide structure and act as an emulsifier by surrounding fat particles and helping trap air contributing lightness and volume. Eggs also add moisture, color, and flavor to the batter.
Liquids moisten the batter, activate gluten in the flour, and help to dissolve the sugars. Liquids include milk, buttermilk, sour cream, juice, or fruit purees.
CHEMICAL LEAVENING AGENTS
Chemical leaveners are made up with mixtures or compounds that release gases when they react with each other, with moisture or with heat. Most leavening agents are a combination of a salt of bicarbonate and an acid.
The reaction of this acid and salt leaves behind a chemical salt. Chemical leaveners are used in cooking that requires a quick fermentation effect such as in breads and cakes. Most common chemical leavening agents are:
Baking Soda
Also called as Bicarbonate of Soda or Sodium Bicarbonate, a fine white powder consisting of a mixture of alkaline salts. It is manufactured by adding carbon dioxide to huge vats of water containing sodium chloride and ammonia.
Baking Powder
It is a fine white substance which reacts in the presence of liquid and heat, releasing carbon dioxide. Baking powder has a built-in acid that activates it.
MIXING METHODS
Quick breads are prepared by the blending-, creaming-, or biscuit-method which determines the final texture and crumb of the finished product.
The blending-method, also known as the muffin-method, combines the wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in a second bowl before mixing together. In addition to muffins, this method is used for preparing pancakes, crepes, and waffles.
The creaming-method, combines the fat and sugar which is beaten to add air thereby lightening and increasing the volume. The eggs are emulsified into the creamed fat and sugar, and the dry ingredients are then folded into the batter. This method results in a moist, tender product that is used for muffins and breads.
The biscuit-method, also used for scones, is prepared by sifting together the dry ingredients including flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder, the fat is then cut into the dry ingredients, and the mixture is folded together with the liquid producing a dense yet flakey texture.
LEARNING VIDEO
Mixing Methods (Blending & Creaming)
Mixing Methods (Biscuit)
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