Quick Breads

Quick Breads

* Baked immediately after ingredients are mixed. •No waiting for yeast action to rise •Leavened with air, steam, or CO2 from baking powder or baking soda * Just moisten ingredients; do not overmix.

MUFFINS

* Contain all seven baking ingredients but they can also be made without sugar and eggs. •Almost all muffins are made with a CO2 leavening agent, mostly baking powder. •The structure and strength of muffins is derived from the gluten; eggs aid in gluten development. •Should have a slightly browned, rounded top and a somewhat pebbled surface similar to a cauliflower crown (soft rounded bumps). The interior should be moist, light, and tender.

Adjustments for Making Oversized Muffins

* Fill the muffin tin to the rim after greasing the tin as well as the top of the muffin pan. •Eat right away just like other muffins. •The baking time is 30-40 minutes. Muffins should be checked after 20 minutes and then every 5-10 minutes.

Batter Varieties of Quick Breads

* Include biscuits, muffins, pancakes, waffles, popovers, and cream puffs. They differ in their flour liquid ratio which ranges from 1:1 in cream puffs and popovers to 2:1 in muffins and 3:1 in biscuits. * The liquid used is milk with the exception of cream puffs which use boiling water. * Name is used because they are baked immediately after the ingredients are mixed. Leavening occurs during and not prior to baking as with yeast breads. * Are leavened with air, steam, and CO2. Popovers and cream puffs use no leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda. * Batters may be poured (pancakes, waffles, popovers) or dropped (muffins, quick tea breads, coffee cakes, and dumplings) * In preparing the batter, it is important that the dry ingredients are just moistened to avoid too much gluten development which causes the finished bread to be dense and heavy.

Unleavened Bread - Roti or Chapatis

* Is an Indian Subcontinent flat bread, made from stoneground wholemeal flour, traditionally known as atta flour, that originated and is consumed in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh. It is also consumed in parts of South Africa, the southern Caribbean, particularly in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname, and Fiji & Grenada. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened. Indian NAAN bread, by contrast, is a yeast-leavened bread. - Roti is made using a soft dough comprising Atta flour, salt and water. Atta is made from hard Gehun (Indian wheat, or durum). It is more finely ground than most western-style wholewheat flours. - Traditionally prepared without salt to provide a bland background for spicy dishes. This also corresponds to modern dietary recommendations not to increase salt intake more than necessary. - Chapati dough is typically prepared with Atta, salt and water, kneaded with the knuckles of the hand made into a fist and left to prove for at least ten, fifteen minutes to an hour for the gluten in the dough to develop. After proving, the dough becomes softer and more pliable. Small portions of the dough are pinched off and formed into round balls that are pressed between the two palms to form discs which are then dipped into flour and rolled out on a circular rolling board chakla using a rolling pin known as velan or belan into a perfect circle.

Storage of Muffins:

* Muffins do not store well and should be eaten soon after baking. * Do not place in the refrigerator because they will dry out and become stale. * Muffins freeze extremely well. After they have cooled, freeze in an airtight plastic bag for 6-12 months. To reheat, bake frozen muffins wrapped in aluminum foil at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until thawed.

Biscuit Type - Hardy biscuits

* Preferred in the south of the US. - More bread like. - Fat coats the flour, preventing milk to hydrate the flour as much. This leads to less gluten development.

Quick Bread - Pour batters (Liquid to Flour Ratio: 1:1)

*Pancakes •Crêpes •Waffles •Popovers •Cream puffs

Unleavened bread - Matzo/Matza/Matzah

- Also called matza or matzah - Is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine - Forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which chametz is forbidden.

Cream Puffs - Method of Preparation (Steam Leavened)

- Catherine de Medici's (an Italian who married France's Henry II) pastry chef is credited with inventing choux pastry in the 1540s and it has been the springboard for many desserts ever since. Besides cream puffs, two other desserts using choux pastry are eclairs (long finger-shaped choux pastry filled with cream and glazed with chocolate) and Profiteroles (small puffs of choux pastry split and filled with cream or ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce). - Flour is added to hot water but does not lump because it is coated with fat - In the hot water, gelatinization occurs - Cream puffs tend to fail if there is too much evaporation of liquid during boiling. Therefore, it is important that the butter melts before the liquid reaches boiling temperature. After adding the flour, the mixture is just cooked until it just forms a ball - Eggs are not added to the hot water because this would result in coagulation of the egg proteins. They are added when the dough ball has cooled to lukewarm.

Scones

- Contain eggs, milk, or cream, making them richer than biscuits - Egg is beaten separately before being added to liquid - Often contain pieces of dried fruit - Liquid and dry ingredients are combined with the minimum number of strokes before placing the dough on the floured counter where it is patted to ¾ inch thickness. - Glaze top with some leftover egg-cream mixture.

Unleavened bread - Tortillas

- Flour Tortilla * Made with flour, shortening (lard), water, and salt * More pliable than corn tortillas - Corn Tortillas * Made from masa (cornmeal treated with lime)

Mistake - Muffin Overmixing - Mixing impacts TEXTURE

- Peaked tip and smooth surface - Tunnel formation - Uneven pores - Too much gluten develops - Too much gluten develops. - Peaked tip and very smooth surface similar to a yeast roll. - Interior tunnel formation extending upwards toward the peak. Tunnels are created by pockets of gas expanding upwards along the gluten strands before protein denatures in the interior while the protein on the outside of the muffin has coagulated already. - Uneven pores and cells.

Mistake - Undermixing - Mixing Impacts Texture

- Visible specks of dry flour - Rough, jagged, flat surface - Crumbly texture - Small volume because of some baking powder failing to react -Not enough gluten develops resulting in a crumbly muffin that easily falls apart. Specks of dry flour are visible. -Surface area looks rough and jagged. -Muffins are small because of failure of some of the dry baking powder to react.

Unleavened Bread:

- World's oldest breads - Sometimes called flatbreads - Leavened by steam - Major form of wheat consumption in many Middle Eastern and North African countries

Popovers - STEAM Leavened

-Light, hollow rolls, served with fruit and cream, jam, or meat -Do not contain any chemical leavening -Crisp shells with a moist interior -Structure caused from the liquid of the eggs and not gluten -Baking requires high heat to produce enough steam

Muffin Method

1) Prepare pans -> grease bottom but not sides 2) Sift dry ingredients together 3) Beat eggs well in separate container (not foamy) 4) Add to other moist/liquid ingredients 5) Stir together dry and moist ingredients with a few strokes, until dry ingredients are moist but still lumpy

Muffin Method (used for many quick breads such as pancakes, muffins, etc.)

1) Sift all dry ingredients together and mix thoroughly to disperse baking soda/powder evenly. 2) Beat eggs in a separate bowl until thoroughly blended but not foamy. 3) Add other liquids and fat (melted butter/oil) to the eggs. 4) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add liquid at once. Mix until just moistened. No dry areas should be visible and no liquid should be visible at the edges but the batter should be still lumpy. 5) Bake immediately or leavening will lose some of its power. 6) The flour: liquid ratio in muffins is 2:1. Gluten forms readily at this ratio.

Biscuit Method - Basic Steps in Biscuit Production

1) Sift and mix dry ingredients thoroughly. 2) Cut in fat with dry ingredients with a pastry blender until the fat particles are the size of rice grains. Originally, the fat choice was lard, but butter and shortening can be used just as well. 3) Add liquid to fat/flour mixture and blend minimally, preventing much gluten development. 4) Knead on a floured surface for about ½ minutes until stickiness disappears. 5) Roll out to ¼ (plain biscuits) to ½ inch thickness (tea biscuits). 6) Flour a sharp edged biscuit cutter, cutting biscuits. 7) Place biscuits on shiny, ungreased baking sheet 1 ½ inches apart (for crispy sides). 8) Coat top with some melted butter or egg wash. 9) Bake at 425°F for 10-20 minutes.

Biscuit Method

1)Sift dry ingredients together 2)Cut in fat with pastry blender (rice grain size fat particles) 3)Add moist/liquid ingredients 4) Blend as little as possible 5) Knead on floured surface for ½ minute 6) Roll out to ¼- ½ inch thickness 7) Cut with biscuit cutter 8) Place on shiny, ungreased baking sheet 1.5 inches apart 9) Coat with melted butter or egg wash

Atta Flour - used in Unleavened breads (roti & chapati)

Atta is made from hard Gehun (Indian wheat, or durum). It is more finely ground than most western-style wholewheat flours.

Q: Biscuits do not contain ______ or ________. T

Biscuits do not contain eggs or sugar. The dough should be flaky and soft. Preheat oven before baking.

Dough Varieties for Quick Breads:

Liquid to Flour Ratio: 1:3 (soft dough) - 1:4 (stiff dough) - Unleavened breads •Flour tortillas, corn tortillas, chapatis, crisp flatbreads, and matzo - Biscuits - Scones - Crackers

Over kneading biscuits

Overkneading of the dough results in a poor final product, leading to excess gluten formation and CO2 escape.

Muffing Method Baking Preparation and Baking

When mixing the batter, make sure that it is still lumpy and not smooth. Pans should be prepared ahead of time and must be greased on bottom but not the sides providing traction for the dough during rising and a larger final volume. If 12 muffins are made, they should all be scooped in at one time (use two spoons). The batter must be scooped from the mixing bowl with minimum amount of manipulation. Fill the muffin tins 2/3 to ¾ full unless otherwise directed by the recipe. If the recipe does not fill all the tins, fill the rest with water so the pan will not warp. Place muffins in the center of the oven. 400°F is the best temperature for baking muffins unless they have high sugar content. If more sugar is used, decrease the temperature to 350-370°F. Baking time is approximately 20-25 minutes. For muffins to easily slide out of the pan, place the muffin tin on a wet towel after taking them out of the oven.

Cream Puffs - STEAM Leavened

•Contain flour, liquid, egg, and butter •Ratio of flour to liquid is 1:1 as in popovers, but cream puffs contain significantly more fat •Lecithin in the egg serves as an emulsifier •More tender and richer than popovers because of the butter

Popovers - Method of Preparation (STEAM Leavened)

•Crisp, brown shell with a moist interior •Prepared using the muffin method, but is beaten until smooth •Batter can be beaten because the ratio of dry to liquid ingredients is 1:1 rather than 2:1 as in muffins. Due to the ratio, no gluten develops. •Prepared in special, preheated pan where dough pops over side of container due to generated steam. •Bake at 425°F to produce steam - bake for 20 min, then decrease temperature to 325°F to cook the inside without burning the outside •Pierce the popover with a sharp knife and allow to stand for 10 minutes before removing from the oven to dry the popover.

Dough Varieties of Quick Breads - Soft Dough Varieties

•Liquid to flour ratio: 1:3 •Includes biscuits, scones, and crackers •Are shaped or rolled and steam leavened => tortillas, chapattis, crisp flatbread, matzo); or leavened with baking powder/soda => biscuits, scones, some crackers •Includes yeast bread and doughnuts (both not quick breads)

Dough Varieties of Quick Breads -Stiff Dough

•Liquid to flour ratio: 1:4 to 1:8 •Includes cookies, pastries, piecrust, noodles

Quick Bread - Drop batters (Liquid to Flour Ratio: 1:2)

•Muffins -Avoid overmixing and undermixing - Added ingredients (fruits, nuts, etc.) •Muffin breads - Boston brown bread, corn bread, hushpuppies, and tea breads •Coffee cakes •Dumplings

Biscuit Type -Flaky biscuits

•Preferred in the northern US. To achieve the flaky texture, small chunks of fat should remain after cutting in the fat. These melt causing steam to rise that makes the biscuits flaky. •Fat chunks also coat less gluten, resulting in more liquid absorption by flour and subsequent gluten formation.