out of the oven. If excessive baking powder is used, the
color will be dark and yellowish and the taste will be
salty or bitter. Too little baking powder will result in the
structure being heavy and dense with low volume.
FAT. General-purpose shortening compound is
used in quick bread and batter production. Shortenings
produce products with a soft crumb and aid in browning.
EGGS. An important ingredient in quick breads
and batter is eggs, which add flavor, color, and
palatability. They also provide some leavening action.
Fresh whole eggs or frozen whole baking-type eggs are
used. Dehydrated egg mix may be used as a successful
substitute in any recipe if the eggs are sifted with the dry
ingredients. This will assure even distribution and
uniform reconstitution when the liquid is added.
OTHER INGREDIENTS. Other ingredients
include spices; grated, whole, or chopped fruits, nuts,
poppy or caraway seeds; cereals such as bran or
cornmeal; and salt. Salt adds flavor.
How ingredients are mixed determines to a large
extent the structure and texture of the finished product.
All ingredients should be evenly mixed. If needed, the
flour gluten should be developed to the desired degree
to keep the loss of the leavening gas to a minimum
These general rules apply to mixing quick breads
and hatters, regardless of which mixing method is
l The degree of mixing is always limited when the
leavening is produced by baking powder.
l The amount of mixing varies with the kind of
ingredients and their proportion, except for leavening,
For example, a product containing a high percentage of
fat and sugar maybe mixed longer with less harm to the
quality of the finished product.
l Recipes in the AFRS outline should be followed,
step by step, as the method for mixing quick bread
MUFFIN-MIXING METHOD. This method is
used for pancakes, muffins, corn bread, dumplings, and
fritters. The sequence of steps for the muffin method
includes sifting dry ingredients together, blending in the
liquid and eggs, adding melted shortening, and mixing
only until dry ingredients are moistened. Corn bread,
muffin, and dumpling batters should appear lumpy.
BISCUIT OR PASTRY METHOD. This means
of combining ingredients is used principally for biscuits.
This dough contains more flour than liquid and is of a
The dough is prepared by sifting dry ingredients
together, blending in the shortening, adding the liquid,
and mixing only enough to yield a uniform structure.
The dough is then cut into the desired shapes and baked.
CAKE METHOD. Several quick breads and
batters are mixed by the cake method. Cake doughnuts,
cakes, and muffins are mixed similarly to batter
Steps used in this method are as follows:
Cream shortening and sugar,
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the moist
ingredients, alternating so that you begin and
end with the dry ingredients.
Both drop and pour soft batters and roll-out dough
preparation methods are important to know. These
batters and roll-out doughs are explained individually in
the following sections.
Coffee cakes are popular breakfast or brunch items.
The recipe formulas are the same as for regular cakes
eaten as desserts, except for minor ingredient changes.
The major difference is in the frosting used on cakes.
Coffee cakes are either topped with sweetened
crumbs or combined with fruit. Crumb cake and quick
coffee cake recipes in the AFRS are of this type. Serve
these cakes while still warm. Quick coffee cakes may
be prepared with biscuit mix. Check the AFRS for
Corn bread is a quick bread popular in both
northern and southern parts of the United States.
Yankee-style corn bread is prepared with sugar;
southern style is prepared without sugar. Jalapeno corn
bread may be prepared by adding chopped jalapeno
Corn bread can be baked in either sheet pans (18 by
26 inches) or the batter may be poured into muffin pans
to make muffins. Corn bread mix is available. See the
AFRS recipe card for directions.