Learn to Cook - Quick Breads

Make Banana and Pumpkin Bread

Jun 28, 2009 Deborah Harding

The Learn to Cook Series gives easy recipes for the beginner with methods easily followed. This Learn to Cook articles deals with quick breads that are sweet and simple.

Quick bread are easy to make and good to eat. The reason they are called “quick” is because they don’t use yeast to make the dough rise, which can take several hours. Making a loaf or 2 of quick bread might take you one hour. The consistency of the bread is usually created with baking powder or soda instead of yeast. All quick breads usually use only 5 basic ingredients. They are flour, baking powder or baking soda, eggs, fat (butter, shortening, or oil), and milk or another type of liquid.

There are 3 different methods of making quick breads. One is called the Blending Method. In this method you will have dry ingredients that are combined and wet ingredients that are combined, then you gradually combine the two together. In the creaming method butter and sugar are creamed in a mixer until fluffy then the liquid ingredients are added. Then the dry and liquid ingredients are carefully folded in so as not to destroy the little air pockets the creaming created to make the bread light and airy. In the biscuit method the butter or shortening (fat) is chilled and then th dry ingredients are cut in as if you were making biscuits or a pie crust.

The following recipes are for the most popular quick breads. These are basic recipes and as you learn to make them you can add other things to enhance the flavor. These items will be under Notes in the recipe.

Banana Bread

Use up those bananas that are starting to turn to brown and to ripe to eat. This bread has a good flavor and nice consistency.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter or good quality margarine
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups mashed banana

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 1 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a mixing bowl cream the butter or margarine and brown sugar.
3. Add beaten eggs, vanilla, and mashed banana blend well.
4. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and hand mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until just moistened. (you don’t want to use the electric mixer or it will destroy the air pockets created in the creamed mixture and your banana bread will be flat and dense instead of light and airy).
5. Pour into a prepared pan. Bake about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let cool in pan 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.
7. Cut into slices when cool.

NOTE: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans for Banana Nut Bread or try ½ cup of mini chocolate chips for Banana Chocolate Chip Bread. You might even opt for ¼ cup nuts and ¼ cup chocolate chips for an even more interesting flavor.

Pumpkin Bread

This recipe makes a few loaves of bread and you will need it as people gobble this up as quick as you can make it. Remember you can freeze loaves of quick bread by wrapping well in plastic wrap and then popping the loaf into a freezer bag. It should last about 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pumpkin puree in a can
• 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3-1/2 cup sugar
• 6 eggs
• 4-3/4 cups flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour 3 – 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. In a mixing bowl with electric mixer combine pumpkin, oil, sugar and eggs.
2. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
3. Add this gradually to the pumpkin mixture mixing slowly until it is all combined.
4. Turn equally into the 3 pans and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
5. Cool in pan 10 minutes then turn out on a cooling rack.

NOTE: Add 1-1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup raisins, or 1 cup dried cranberries. Again you can mix it up by adding all three to equal 1 cup or just 2 of the extra ingredients.

Quick Breads are good to pull out when you have unexpected company. They are sweet like a desert and should tempt the taste pallet of any guest. They are super easy to make and the ingredients don’t cost a fortune so you can always have some ready when you need it.

The copyright of the article Learn to Cook - Quick Breads in Recipes is owned by Deborah Harding. Permission to republish Learn to Cook - Quick Breads in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

banana bread with nuts

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