Understanding Quick Breads
What are Quick Breads?
Quick breads are baked immediately after their ingredients are mixed. Unlike yeast breads, they
do not require a slow fermentation period. Instead, they are leavened during baking through the
action of:
Air: Incorporated during mixing.
Steam: Generated from the liquid in the batter when heated.
Carbon Dioxide: Produced by chemical leavening agents such as baking soda or baking
powder.
Preparation of Quick Breads
Two critical factors in preparing quick breads are:
1. Consistency of Batter: Batters should be mixed only until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Overmixing develops gluten, resulting in a tough product.
2. Cooking Temperature: The oven temperature significantly impacts the final product.
Batter Types
Quick bread batters are generally categorized into two types:
Pour Batters: These are thin batters that can be poured from a bowl. Examples include
pancakes, crepes, waffles, and popovers.
Drop Batters: These are thicker batters that hold their shape when dropped from a spoon.
Examples include muffins, Boston brown bread, corn bread, hushpuppies, quick tea bread,
coffee cake, and dumplings.
The Muffin Method
The muffin method is a common technique for preparing quick breads, especially muffins. It
involves:
1. Sifting dry ingredients together in one bowl.
2. Combining moist ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Stirring the dry and moist ingredients together with a few strokes until the dry ingredients are
just moistened and the batter is still lumpy. This minimal mixing prevents excessive gluten
development.
Additives in Quick Breads
Various additives are used in quick breads to improve their quality, shelf life, and appearance:
Inhibitors of Mold Growth: Calcium propionate, sodium propionate, sodium diacetate, and
sorbic acid.
Sweeteners: Corn syrup (also acts as a preservative) and sucrose.
Emulsifiers: Polysorbates.
Color Fixation: Sodium citrate.
pH Control: Tartaric acid.
Varieties of Quick Breads
Pour Batters
Pancakes: Quality depends on mixing technique and griddle temperature.
Crepes: Thin pancakes used to wrap other ingredients. They have no added leavening.
Waffles: Batter typically contains more fat than pancake batter.
Popovers: Puffy bread products with very thin, moist sides and a hollow center. They
resemble oversized, tall muffins but have a consistency more like a warm roll. Profiteroles
and cream puffs are related items.
Drop Batters
Muffins:
Easiest to prepare, using a ratio of flour to liquid of approximately 2:1. They are made with
flour, liquid, fat, egg, sugar, salt, leavening agents, and flavoring agents.
Overmixing: Leads to peaked tops, smooth crusts, tunnels, and a tough, "elastic" texture.
Undermixing: Results in large lumps, insufficient gluten development, a crumbly texture,
and a low-volume muffin because the leavening agent is incompletely moistened.
Adding Ingredients: To prevent fruits and nuts from sinking, gently roll them in flour or
toss them in a bag with some flour.
Muffin Breads:
Boston Brown Bread: Made with rye and graham flours; typically steamed rather than
baked.
Corn Bread: Similar to muffin batter but includes cornmeal and all-purpose flour.
Hushpuppies: Made from a corn bread drop batter, often served with pan-fried fish.
Tea Breads: Similar to muffins but baked in a loaf pan.
Coffee Cakes: Often contain nuts and/or raisins, with a sweet topping. Unlike tea breads,
they are best served immediately. Yeast-leavened coffee cakes are not considered quick
breads.
Dumplings: Small balls of flour combined with a few other ingredients.
Unleavened Breads
These breads do not use chemical leavening agents or yeast.
Biscuits: Rely on fat for shortening and require minimal kneading for gluten formation. Dough
typically contains flour, fat, milk, baking powder, and salt.
Scones: Richer than biscuits due to the inclusion of eggs and milk or cream. Often contain
dried fruits.
Tortillas:
Unleavened, circular breads made from wheat flour or cornmeal.
Flour Tortillas: Use water at room temperature and can be used as wraps for tacos or
burritos.
Corn Tortillas: Use hot water and can be more crumbly and harder to use as wraps.
Chapatis/Roti: Common in India, Pakistan, and Iran, made with whole-wheat flour, water,
clarified butter (ghee), and salt. Roti is often torn and eaten with liquid.
Crisp Flatbreads: Found in Scandinavian countries, varying in thickness from paper-thin
(Norwegian lefse) to thicker crisp breads. Rye and wheat are common flours.
Matzo: Made only from flour and water.
Leavened Breads (Chemically Leavened)
Biscuits: As described above, these are chemically leavened with baking powder.
Scones: Also chemically leavened.
Crackers: Typically low in sugar and fat, and may or may not be leavened with baking soda or
powder.
Common Quick Bread Problems and Causes
Problem Excessive Oven Too Oven Too Too Much Baked Too
Mixing Hot Cool Flour Long
Peaked top X X
Smooth crust X
Pale X
Burned X X
Tough, X X
"elastic"
Tunnels X
Very compact X X
Too dry X X
Calorie Control in Quick Breads
To manage calorie intake from quick breads:
Count calories from the bread itself.
Limit the number of portions consumed.
Choose smaller portion sizes.
Be mindful of toppings like butter, margarine, or preserves.
Limit the amount of butter or margarine used by skimming instead of dipping.
Incorporate fiber-rich options.