Mastering Quick Breads: Easy Tips and Techniques for Delicious Results

1. Quick Breads

2. What is a quick bread? • A non yeast batter, that is quick and easy to prepare • Muffins • Banana, date breads • Scones • Polenta cake

3. Quick Breads • Stale quickly when exposed to air • If tightly wrapped can be frozen up to three weeks with no adverse affects • Thaw at room temp. before service

4. Let’s talk mixing • Quick breads are leavened both chemically and mechanically • Pastry chefs uses seven basic mixing methods for these products • Creaming • Blending • Two stage • Foaming warm, & cold • Separated foaming • combination

5. Creaming • Cream together the sugars and fats until evenly incorporated • Scrape the bowl as you do this to ensure even creaming • We are putting air in our product(mechanical leavening) • Mix in the eggs in batches • Work in batches mix until smooth batter avoid the curdled affect • Using large amount use warm eggs • Scrape bowl often • Add in the sifted dry ingredients • Mix only until all dry ingredients are incorporated • Added either all at once or alternating with other liquids (milk, juice) • Add any additional flavorings • Mixing or folding until just incorporated • If using frozen fruits add them while still frozen

6. Two stage • Combine or sift together all dry ingredients • Combine all wet ingredients including eggs • High ratio of shortening and eggs acts as emulsifier for smooth batter • 1st stage mix all dry with all of the fat and ½ of the liquid • 2cd stage mix remaining liquid in 3 equal stages mixing for 2 minutes between addition scraping bowl between additions

7. FoamingWarm & cold • Foaming means that the eggs are beaten into a light fluffy foam • This is incorporating air which when heated will be a leavening agent • All other preparations for the formula should be complete before we begin foaming

8. Foaming- cool • Use wire whip place eggs and sugar in bowl large enough for volume of whipped eggs • To determine maximum volume watch mixture when volume just begins to recede maximum volume has been achieved • Fold in dry ingredients, gradually but quickly so as not to loose volume • Fold in melted butter last you may want to temper butter 1st to ease the incorporation into the batter • Scale batter into pan immediately and bake

9. Foaming - warm • Place eggs and sugar in bowl then place over barely simmering water whip until it reaches a temp of 110° • Move to mixer and beat until maximum volume has been reached • After maximum volume has been reached turn mixer down to med. And beat for 5 minutes • Continue on as we did with the cold method

10. Separated foaming • 1st separate the eggs • Mix the yolks with ½ the sugar until the yolks reach the ribbon stage • With a clena whip beat whites until soft peaks add remaining sugar while mixer is on med until med peaks for • Fold eggs together temper the yolks with the whites • Then continue with step in other foaming methods

11. Combination • Uses both the creaming with the foaming methods • Cream the butter with ½ sugar, then mix in whole eggs and yolks • Beat white until soft peaks then stream remaing sugar while mixing until med peaks • Temper 1/3 of white into creamed mixture then batter will easily accept remainder • Fold in dry ingredients until just mixed • Scale and bake immediately