Issue Date: October 14, 2007
Delicious and moist quick bread
This easy treat starts with one basic recipe, which morphs into three bold flavors for fall. Each one is so good, why not make an extra loaf to freeze for later?
By Pam Anderson
Perfect quick bread is light, moist, tender, bold (its flavor should be obvious), nicely shaped and fully baked. This quick bread recipe gives you three appealing choices -- pumpkin, banana and apple butter -- with all those qualities.
Selecting the right pan for baking quick breads makes a big difference. Because of the long baking times (50 minutes for the miniature loaves; 70 minutes for the big ones), stay away from Pyrex, clay or ceramic loaf pans, which retain heat and cause the breads to dry out and the edges to toughen. Invest in the thin, disposable variety, which you can wash and use again.
Choosing the right quick bread ingredients makes a difference, too. Adding some water to the batter keeps the bread moist over the long baking time. Oil, not butter, is the quick bread fat of choice. Butter's delicate flavor tends to get lost among the bold flavors and spices.
A generous quantity of quick-rising baking soda guarantees a light, airy bread and causes the top to brown and crisp up. Acidic molasses in the brown sugar reacts with the alkaline soda, keeping the breads from tasting "off."
Unlike cakes that test done when a tester comes out clean, quick breads are a little trickier. An almost-baked quick bread may look and test done even though its center top is slightly gummy. But if you bake these breads for the suggested times, they should be fully and perfectly done.
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of four cookbooks. Her latest is an entertaining guide, "Perfect Recipes for Having People Over" (Houghton Mifflin, $35).
Pumpkin Spice Bread
Half a 15-ounce can 100% pure pumpkin (1 cup minus 2 Tbs.)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3/4 cup water
1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cup bleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a small saucepan over medium heat until steamy. Stirring continuously, cook until pumpkin is stiff and starts to stick to the pan bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; whisk in 3/4 cup water, then brown sugar, then oil, then eggs until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining dry ingredients, then fold into the pumpkin mixture until just combined. Scrape batter into3 greased miniature disposable loaf pans (or 1 9-inch pan). Bake until firm and golden brown, about50 minutes for miniature loaves and about 70 minutes for a large loaf.
Let bread stand for a few minutes. Turn onto a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve. Recipe doubles easily and freezes well.
Makes 3 mini loaves or 1 9-inch loaf.
Serves 15: Per serving: 231 calories, 3g protein, 37g carbohydrates, 8g fat (1g saturated), 28mg cholesterol, 1g fiber, 221mg sodium
Go to top
Banana Bread
Follow recipe for Pumpkin Spice Bread, substituting 2 ripe mashed bananas (about 1 cup) for the cooked spiced pumpkin (but do not cook the banana puree). Omit spices. Reduce water to 1/2 cup. Reduce brown sugar to 11/2 cups.
Serves 15: Per serving: 226 calories, 3g protein, 36g carbohydrates, 8g fat (1g saturated), 28mg cholesterol, 1g fiber, 219mg sodium
Apple Butter Bread
Follow recipe for Pumpkin Spice Bread, substituting 3/4 cup of apple butter for the cooked spiced pumpkin (but do not cook the apple butter). Omit nutmeg. Increase cinnamon to 2 tsps. Reduce water to 1/2 cup. Reduce brown sugar to 1 1/4 cups.
Serves 15: Per serving: 224 calories, 2g protein, 35g carbohydrates, 8g fat (1g saturated), 28mg cholesterol, 1g fiber, 219mg sodium
|
