This No-Fail Recipe Makes Homemade Bread Blissfully Simple (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to success when making quick breads? ›

Quick breads are typically mixed by hand, and it's important not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can cause the gluten in the flour to develop, resulting in a tough and chewy bread. Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined, and then stop. If there are a few lumps in the batter, that's okay.

The possibilities are endless, but the common factor is the basic ingredients of fat, sugar, eggs, flour, liquid, leavening agent, and a flavoring ingredient. The flavoring might be a fruit or vegetable, a liquid such as buttermilk or fruit juice, an extract, herbs, or spices.

In addition to the four main ingredients used to make bread – flour, salt, yeast and water – there are often small quantities of other ingredients which are added to improve the texture, crumb structure and keeping properties of the bread. All ingredients in bread will be clearly listed on the wrapper.

It consists of a series of steps including mixing, fermentation, makeup, proofing, baking, cooling, slicing and packaging. Due to their critical role, these processes must be carefully operated to meet pre-set conditions and specifications.

The two main quick-acting leavening agents are baking powder and baking soda Salt: Used as a seasoning Liquid: Helps in the blending of dry ingredients and the formation of gluten. It triggers the leavening action of baking powder or baking soda. Sugar: Makes quick breads tender and adds flavor.

The ingredient that causes a quick bread to rise is a leavening agent. In the case of quick breads, leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda react with acidic ingredients such as buttermilk or yogurt, producing carbon dioxide gas.

Sugar, in addition to its interaction with fats, adds flavor, color, and aids in the tenderization of the batter. Eggs provide structure and act as an emulsifier by surrounding fat particles and helping trap air contributing lightness and volume. Eggs also add moisture, color, and flavor to the batter.

Once dry ingredients have been added, don't beat vigorously or overmix. Overmixing can result in a tough quick bread.

Shortening-Makes bread more tender and improves keeping quality 14. Salt-Improves flavor and controls growth rate of yeast. 15. Flour-Gives structure and body to bread.

What makes bread fluffy? ›

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Finally, if you're feeling adventurous, why not add honey, molasses, or brown sugar to your recipe? Not only will they give your bread a unique flavor, but they'll also help keep it soft and moist for days.

Egg wash is beaten egg used to glaze or seal baked goods or to adhere breading to foods like cutlets. Whole egg is beaten alone or with another liquid like water, milk or cream. The wash is brushed over the surface of goods like breads, pastries and pies to give them a shiny browned appearance after baking.

Look for edges that are pulling away from the sides of your pan, a golden color, and internal temperature of 190°. A crack running vertically in the middle of the bread is absolutely okay, but be sure it doesn't look too wet or runny inside. Can you save cooking and cleanup time with a new technique? We investigate.

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients all at once. Using a wooden spoon, mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened, 15 to 20 light strokes. There should be some small lumps. Overmixing can cause quick breads to be tough, bake unevenly or cause elongated holes (or tunnels).

To determine whether bread is of good quality, there are several factors and characteristics you can identify. For example the crust must be crisp and of a darker tone than the inside, a strong flavour and taste due to the flour, as well as a pleasant smell. What's also important is that the conservation is longer.

Quick breads are prepared by the blending-, creaming-, or biscuit-method which determines the final texture and crumb of the finished product. The blending-method, also known as the muffin-method, combines the wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in a second bowl before mixing together.

A coarse, crumbly texture: Your quick bread should be moist and dense. Too much fat (butter, oil, or shortening) or too much leavening (baking soda or baking powder) will cause the bread to be crumbly.