Baking Class - Quickbreads.

Lewisburg.

The quickbreads class was as popular as one might expect. Students made their own recipes from start to finish - without all that waiting around for yeast - and went home with plates of buttermilk cornbread and applesauce muffins. Plus, there's this little spark in their eyes whenever they get something loaded with sugar... it'll be interesting to see the reaction to a real sponge cake in the final class.

Of course, there were a few little mix-ups, now that the students were doing all the work. Recipe-reading skills could use some honing, for example. But that came with some good questions, too - including ones about what I'll be teaching next semester. Overall, a good sign.

QUICKBREADS
Baking 101 – Spring 2008

ABOUT QUICKBREADS

Unlike yeasted breads, quickbreads don’t rely on yeast to produce leavening power or gluten to harness it. And rather than being made from doughs, which have enough character to be picked up and shaped, quickbreads are made from batters. Quickbread batters are typically thicker than those used for pancakes; they’re easier to spoon than to pour. And, since they’re stiffer and hold their shape better, they can be made into various shapes, usually loaves or muffins.

Quickbreads get their rising power from chemical leavening agents, and don’t need to wait on the activity of a colony of yeast before baking. Their moist, dense, somewhat coarse texture is due to, in most recipes, moderate amounts of sugar, fat and egg. Since the process for making quickbreads isn’t much more complicated than stirring together the various ingredients, these types of recipes are easy to modify, generally forgiving of mistakes, and can be made in larger or smaller batches simply by scaling ingredient amounts.

Just about any quickbread loaf recipe can be baked as muffins, and vice versa. Though times may vary depending on oven temperature and the actual quantity of batter used, loaf quickbreads usually take 50 minutes to an hour in a 350° F oven. Muffins, in a 400° F oven, take about 15 to 18 minutes for standard-sized, 10 to 12 minutes for miniature, and 22 to 25 minutes for jumbo. Lower oven temperatures are more forgiving for overcooking, but will not crisp up the edges as much.

CHEMICAL LEAVENING

In lieu of yeast, various chemical compounds provide the lift for quickbreads. There are two general types: baking soda and baking powder. Some recipes may call for one or the other; many call for a certain amount of both. They aren’t interchangeable, so be careful.

Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate, and works by reacting with acids in the batter to produce carbon dioxide. Add some vinegar to a spoonful of baking soda in a glass and watch it foam. It reacts immediately, which means that recipes that call for it alone must be baked as soon as they are mixed. As the batter sits, the leavening bubbles will escape, leaving you with a particularly rock-solid muffin. Common acids used to get this reaction include buttermilk, yogurt, molasses, fruit juices, and vinegar. If a recipe calls for buttermilk and you have none, you can make clabbered milk by mixing about two teaspoons of vinegar with a cup of milk and resting it for a few minutes. The taste isn’t the same, but the effect in the recipe will be.

Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and one or more dried, crystalline acids, with some dry starch to prevent the two from prematurely reacting. When dissolved in liquid, the acid-base reaction takes place, producing the carbon dioxide gas needed for leavening. Most available baking powders are referred to as “double-acting,” meaning that not all of the acids present will react as soon as a batter is mixed. Some of the reactions won’t occur until the heat of baking initiates them, thus giving a second rise while in the oven. Recipes that call for both baking soda and baking powder often rely on the baking soda as a means to neutralize the acidity of other ingredients in the batter. The baking powder, in these cases, is intended to provide much of the lift.

Due to humidity in the air, the ingredients in baking powder will slowly react and lose their leavening power over time; it’s best to replace your supply once a year, regardless of how much is left in the container. You have a choice when purchasing baking powder, between those containing aluminum – in the form of sodium aluminum sulfate – and those without. There are concerns that even small amounts of aluminum intake can have negative health effects, though the science so far is inconclusive. “Aluminum-free” baking powders also seem to be free of the “metallic” and bitter taste baking powder can sometimes lend to baked goods. The choice is up to you.

Occasionally, you may find a recipe that calls for “self-rising” flour, particularly in British cookbooks. This type of flour contains approximately 1-½ teaspoons of baking powder per cup. Avoid using it. You can simply adjust the recipe to work with all-purpose flour and baking powder, and thus avoid having a too-specific ingredient taking up shelf space.

GLUTEN-FREE TEXTURE

The distinctive texture of quickbreads and muffins – dense and moist, with a coarse crumb that breaks apart into irregular chunks – is due to the ingredients and mixing method. Or, rather, the near lack of mixing. As in breads, starch is still a key structural player, sometimes buttressed by egg proteins, but in this case it isn’t the formation of gluten that’s desired. In quickbreads, the ingredients are brought together quickly, often with the dry ingredients mixed together in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another. (Sugar, since it dissolves so easily into liquids, is often considered a “wet” ingredient.) Recipes stress avoiding “overmixing,” which can be difficult to judge without experience. Generally, lumps in the batter will bake out, as long as there are no large clumps of flour remaining unmixed.

Overmixing is a problem because it begins to develop gluten. Although the various fats, proteins and sugars in the other ingredients do a fair job of minimizing that, it can still happen. The texture then changes to something less tender, with a finer crumb – except where there are large pockets of air space. Where gluten starts to develop, it traps the leavening gases inside, producing large tunnel-like cavities. If you see those as you slice through a muffin, make a note to stop mixing a little sooner the next time.

The goal is to thoroughly mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients while in separate containers, so that very little mixing is required when the two are combined. Another reason to be thorough in the pre-mixing is to ensure there are no clumps of leavening agents left in the dough. These will taste decidedly bitter if anyone bites into one, and have a tendency to produce funny colors in the presence of certain ingredients: blueberries, carrots and sunflower seeds turn green; walnuts turn blue. This can also happen if there’s too much baking soda in the batter, regardless of how well it’s mixed in.

THE ROLE OF FATS AND OILS

Fats function as tenderizers in baked goods, and also help to maintain a moist texture; although they don’t hold on to water in the finished product, the fats themselves give that sensation. Fats aren’t as effective in slowing staling as they are in other baked goods, however. Because they’re minimally mixed, the fat remains unevenly distributed, and doesn’t protect much of the starch from losing its moisture.

Temperature can also be a concern. As with most baked goods, quickbreads are usually best kept at room temperature, not in the refrigerator. This is a particular issue with those that use butter; because it solidifies at a higher temperature than vegetable oils, refrigerated butter-based goods can develop a distinctly unpleasant texture. Long-term storage in the freezer is a different case, however. Wrapped so that they’re airtight, quickbreads can be frozen, then reheated in a 350° F oven until hot, without any unpleasant changes.

It is possible to make quickbreads with less fat, yet keep that same sense of moistness. Low-fat quickbreads will not keep as long as the regular sorts, and so should be eaten within a day or so. Some recipes simply reduce the butter or oil and replace it with some extra milk or orange juice; these are more prone to overmixing than usual, and will stale quickly. Others, such as the muffin recipe below, use applesauce to provide moisture in place of some dairy and fat. They are a little more forgiving, and tend to resist staling almost as well as other muffin recipes.

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD
Makes one 9-inch round loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cornmeal
  
• 1 cup flour
  
• ½ Tablespoon baking powder
  
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1-¼ cups buttermilk
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 4 Tablespoons butter (½ stick)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F, with a 9-inch cast iron skillet in the oven. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
   
   
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Beat the eggs into the buttermilk into well combined, and mix in the melted butter. Stir into the dry ingredients until just combined, being sure to break up any clumps of flour. Avoid overmixing; a few lumps aren’t a problem.
   
   
3. Pour the batter into the hot skillet, and return to the oven. Bake for twenty minutes, or until the top has turned golden brown. Allow to cool for a moment in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack.

NOTES

• Any oven-safe pan will work in lieu of cast iron, including muffin tins, though the bottom crust may not form quite as nicely. Adjust the cooking time as needed for different shapes.
  
  
• Like most quickbreads, cornbread takes well to additional ingredients. Include up to ½ cup of grated cheese, fresh corn kernels, diced onion and chilli peppers, or anything else that seems good.

APPLESAUCE MUFFINS
Adapted from 7th grade home economics class, Lionville Junior High
Makes about one dozen

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup sugar
  
• ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
  
• 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 cup smooth applesauce
  
• ½ cup cinnamon chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper cups. In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
   
   
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light-colored. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the applesauce. Add in the dry ingredients in three parts, stirring to combine each completely before adding the next. If using, gently fold in the cinnamon chips.
   
   
3. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups; each should be about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a rack to cool.

NOTES

• As these muffins are relatively low-fat, they will go stale more quickly than standard muffins. Eat them as close to freshly baked as possible.