Quick breads (turkey, cook, pound, beer)

[LilyMae521]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

I mean, let’s be honest, it’s cake baked in a loaf pan. Soda bread, beer bread, those are definitely quick breads.

Good point. A cake by any other name.....

OK, here's a really tasty Irish Soda Bread from a prior work colleague.

Irish Soda Bread
5C sifted all purpose unbleached flour (I use 2C white flour, 1C ww flour, 1C finely ground oatmeal and 1C wheat germ)
1/3C sugar
2t baking powder
1 and 1/2 t salt
1t baking soda
1 stick butter
2 and 1/2C golden raisins, soaked in hot water 15-20 minutes then drained
3T caraway seeds that have been slightly crushed in mortar to release flavor
2 and 1/2C buttermilk
1 large egg slightly beaten

Sift together all dry ingredients, cut in butter until grainy. Stir in caraway seeds and raisins. Blend the buttermilk and egg together, then add to dry ingredients. Stir until well moistened. Divide into two greased 9 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.


And another one-

Brown Soda Bread

2C white all purpose flour
2C ww flour
1.5t baking soda
3/4t salt
2C buttermilk

Sift dry ingredients together, make well in center and add buttermilk. Stir until blended, dough will be sticky. Turn out onto floured surface, knead lightly 4-5 times. Shape into loaf and into an oiled 8 inch round pan. Cut 1/4 inch deep x into top. Bake 15 minutes at 450, then 15 minutes more after turning oven down to 400.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

I don’t mean to mince words here but most of what has been mentioned really wouldn’t be considered “bread” in the traditional sense. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s cake baked in a loaf pan.

Not at all. The textures are nowhere near similar.

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Not at all. The textures are nowhere near similar.

What texture does a cake have? Answer: all sorts. A pound cake is nothing like an angel food cake. An American butter cake is nothing like a genoise. So I don’t know what you mean when you say “texture.”

I guarantee you could take a zucchini bread recipe, bake it in 9” rounds, cover it in buttercream and nobody would second guess it being a cake. In fact, I may do just that this week

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by LilyMae521

Good point. A cake by any other name.....

[RECIPE]

Yum! The caraway, golden raisins and buttermilk all sound fantastic. I bet it really adds a different depth of flavor. I may try this recipe out. Thanks!

[ndcairngorm]

Can you still buy buttermilk in the grocery store?

[Moonlady]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

I don’t mean to mince words here but most of what has been mentioned really wouldn’t be considered “bread” in the traditional sense. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s cake baked in a loaf pan. You could bake a carrot cake in a loaf pan and people would still call it a carrot cake, and it’s really the same thing as a banana or zucchini bread.

Soda bread, beer bread, those are definitely quick breads.

Otherwise, I think to have a bread other than a flatbread, you need some degree of yeast/kneading.

True, but "quick bread" has a definition of its own. Agreed that it's not bread in the traditional sense, but the two words together describe what we are talking about in this thread.

Quick bread is any bread leavened with leavening agents other than yeast or eggs. Quick breads include many cakes, brownies and cookies—as well as banana bread, beer bread, biscuits, cornbread, muffins, pancakes, scones, and soda bread.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by ndcairngorm

Can you still buy buttermilk in the grocery store?

Yes!

[silibran]

Quick breads baked in a loaf pan usually are denser than most cakes. I grant they are sweet. I like to use the recommended amount of sugar with a light hand, myself.

The point about different cake textures is well taken.

But these are generally classified as breads. No one will prevent you from eating them for dessert.

[bale002]

Quick breads

Thread title says nothing about sweet, so I thought I could contribute.

Yesterday I ground up some oat flakes into flour, this morning I preheated oven and cast iron skillet to 425, mixed a cup of oat flour with a bit of salt, baking powder for a bit of leavening, and almond milk, slickened with a splash of olive oil, flattened two into two discs, placed on parchment paper, onto skillet, and baked for about 5 minutes as if pita bread.

Whole process took about 20 minutes.

Ate some as is, some with a bit of hummus, and sauteed kale on the side.

That was breakfast.

[silibran]

Spicy Banana Bread

1 3/4 C sifted all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 t Penzey's cake or baking spice
1/3 C butter
2/3 C sugar, scant
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/3 C mashed ripe bananas
1/2 C chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease loaf pan well; line with doubled up foil with long sides to make a sling;
set aside.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cake spice together. Set aside.

3. Cream shortening and sugar in large electric mixer bowl at medium speed until fluffy-light. Beat in eggs
and vanilla.

4. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with bananas, beginning and ending with dry. Stir in nuts.

5. Spoon batter into pan, spreading to corners, and bake about 1 hour, until toothpick inserted in center of
loaf comes out clean.

6. Cool loaf in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edges and lift out with foil sling to finish cooling on rack.
Cool thoroughly before slicing.

Notes: If you do not have mixed baking spice in your cabinet, use 1 t ground cinnamon, 1/8 t ground cardamom, and 1/8 t ground mace. Or use the spices of your choice.

The original recipe calls for 1 C of mashed banana. I like more banana! More banana makes the bread moist and denser. If you want a more cake like loaf, use the lesser amount.

Adapted from a recipe printed in The American Century Cookbook, by Jean Anderson, c1997