Quick Breads & Yeast Breads

Ingredient Basics•Common ingredients in all baking:

▫ Flour-protein (gluten) and starch in flour gives most of

the structure

▫ Liquid- Usually water or milk

▫ Leavening agents- causes product to rise

▫ Fats- adds tenderness, richness and flavor

▫ Sweeteners-provides sweetness and flavor, makes

product tender, and helps crust brown

▫ Eggs- help form the structure and binds

▫ Flavoring- extract flavors, spices, herb, vegetables,

nuts

Leavening Agents

•Leavening agent is a substance that triggers a chemical action causing a baked product to rise

•Types of leavening agents:▫ Air: trapped air in mixture expands when the

product is heated. Ex: Angel food is mainly leavened by beaten egg

whites

▫Steam: As a product bakes, temperature of the water rises and steam is formed. The steam expands which causes product to rise. Ex: Cream puffs

Leavening Agents (cont.)

• Yeast: is an alive microorganism that produces carbon dioxide gas as it grows.

Yeast requires food, liquid and warm temperatures in order to act as a leavening agent

Leavening Agents (cont.)

•Baking soda: leavening agent used with acidic liquids, such as buttermilk, yogurt or sour milk.

•Baking soda produces carbon dioxide gas when activated by the acidic liquid – which causes a food to expand and RISE!

•Baking powder: Made of baking soda and a powered acid (ex: cream of tarter).

•Used in recipes with no acid part because it already contains the acid.

Batters and Dough

• The amount of liquid in relation to the amount of flour determines whether a mixture is a batter or a dough.

• A batter will have more liquid than dough.

Batters and Dough's• Four kinds of batter and dough:

1. Pour batter: thin enough to pour in a steady stream. Ex: Cakes, pancakes, waffles

2. Drop batter: are thick and are usually spooned into pans. Ex: Cookies and some quick breads

3. Soft dough: are soft and sticky but can be touched and handled. Ex: rolled biscuits, yeast breads and rolls, and some cookies start with soft dough

4. Stiff dough: are firm to the touch, easy to work with and cut. Ex: Piecrust and some cookies

Flapjacks by Alton Brown!

Quick Breads

•Quick breads are quick and easy to make. They don’t require kneading and usually use baking powder as a leavening agent.

▫ High in carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and iron. Some quick breads can be high in fat.

▫ Examples of quick breads are muffins, biscuits, pancakes, corn bread, and fruit breads

Muffin Method

•Muffin method:▫Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and make a

well in the center. ▫Mix all liquid ingredients in separate bowl and

then pour them in the dry ingredient bowl.

• Do not over mix• Mixture should be lumpy • A properly mixed muffin should have a

rounded, pebbly top

Loaf Breads

•Many quick loaf breads are mixed in the

same manner as muffins.

• Usually baked in greased loaf pans.

•If bread contains fruits or nuts, the bottom

of the pan should be lined with parchment

paper.

Biscuits• Biscuits are delicate, have a crisp crust, and

peels apart in tender layers.

• 2 kinds of biscuits:▫ Rolled- rolling out dough ½ inch thick and

cutting with a biscuit cutter. If you do not have a biscuit cutter, use the rim of a water glass.

▫ Dropped- dough is dropped with spoon. These contain more liquid and are too sticky to roll.

- Both are made using the pastry and biscuit method of mixing.

Pastry and Biscuit Methods

•In the pastry and biscuit method the fat is cut-in to the flour.

•To cut in means to mix solid fat and flour using a pastry blender or 2 knives in a cutting direction.

Troubleshooting Quick Breads

What Happened Why It Happened

Bread caved in Rose too fast = too much leavening

Too dry Baked too longNot enough fat or liquid

Underbaked in spots Oven not hot enoughOven heats unevenly

Too dense Batter/dough overmixed

Tough texture Batter/dough overmixed

Yeast Breads

About Yeast • Single celled, microscopic plant.

• When you add sugar to yeast, it reacts to the bacteria and creates carbon dioxide. This leavens the baked product.

• Water mixed with yeast MUST be between 110 and 125 degrees in order to keep the yeast alive.

• Available in three forms:▫ Active dry (what we use)- Compressed (very perishable)- Fast rising yeast (rises twice as fast)

Yeast and Kneading

•After forming the dough for yeast breads, you MUST knead it!!!!

•Almost all of the gluten forms during the kneading stage. ▫It is important to not add too much extra

flour while kneading. This will make the dough far too stiff.

Yeast and Fermentation

•After you knead the dough, what do you do???

•When you let it rest in a warm place, the yeast acts upon the sugar and the carbon dioxide causes the bread to rise. This is called FERMENTATION!

•The bread should at least double in size during fermentation

Punching Down!

•When the dough has risen all the way and has doubled in size, you have to punch it down to release some of the carbon dioxide.

•Some doughs require a second rising period.