The appeal of quick breads isn’t merely the ease, though you have to love any baked good that is no more complicated than mixing a bunch of things together, then baking.
But it also is the adaptability and flexibility of these recipes that have earned them such a coveted place in the home kitchen. They can be flavoured with nearly any combination of ingredients, from sweet all the way to savoury and spicy.
They also can be baked in numerous styles — loaves large or small, as muffins, even simply as muffin tops (if you have the right pan).
To help get you baking this fall, here are two basic quick bread base recipes; one savoury and one sweet. Each recipe includes suggested flavourings – easy ways to take a basic bread and turn it into so much more.
Savoury Quick Bread
Ingredients:
500 ml (2 cups) all-purpose flour
50 ml (1/4 cup) cornmeal
12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) baking powder
5 ml (1 tsp) salt
30 ml (2 tbsp) sugar
250 ml (1 cup) sour cream
45 ml (3 tbsp) melted butter
2 eggs
250 ml (1 cup) cooked, mashed potato (unseasoned)
Mix-ins (see fact box)
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Coat a loaf or muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar. In another bowl, mix together sour cream, butter, eggs, mashed potato and the mix-ins of your choice. Add potato-sour cream mixture to flour mixture and mix just until combined.
3. For loaf, spread batter into prepared pan. Cook until a wooden skewer inserted at the centre comes out clean, 60 minutes. For muffins, spoon batter into prepared tins and bake 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Let loaf cool fully before cutting.
• Emily Richards is a professional home economist, cookbook author and a tv celebrity chef. For more, visit emilyrichardscooks.ca.
– With files from The Associated Press
