In this unit we studied and made various types of quick breads. We started with buttermilk pancakes, then moved on to crepes, then muffins, buttermilk biscuits, and finally scones. All of the creations turned out pretty well, but getting there for some of them was a little bit difficult. The two recipes that posed to be the most difficult were the muffins and the biscuits. For our muffins, we chose to do a pumpkin spice muffin with a cream cheese filling, and a streusel topping. The hardest part about this was creating three separate mixtures (batter, filling, and topping) in the amount of time that we had. We really had to manage our time carefully in order to finish them. For the biscuits, we had to use a new technique, which was cutting in the butter. We used a fork to cut the butter into small enough pieces so that the dough had the correct consistency. Something that our group learned overall in this unit, is that we need to use the correct sized bowls for our mixtures so that they don’t overflow and spill out.

-Veronica E.

In this unit in baking and pastry we learned how to make a bunch of different things such as buttermilk pancakes, crepes, muffins, buttermilk biscuits and scones. There are different techniques that we learned to help us make a better product. Like for making pancakes, we learned that when the pancake has bubbles in it and the bubbles stay open, that’s when it’s time to flip them. For crepes, once you pour the batter into the pan you have to move the pan around so the batter becomes more spread out creating a thinner crepe. When making the muffins, you use a method called the creaming method. This method is when in a mixer you cream together your butter and sugar until smooth. Once that is complete you add in your eggs one at a time and then add your dry ingredients. When making biscuits and scones we used a method called the biscuit method. This is when you combine all of your dry ingredients and you chop up the butter into about ¼ of an inch pieces and place them in your mixing bowl with all of your other ingredients. You could either take a pastry cutter and cut all of the butter into your dry ingredients until they’re all incorporated. Or take a fork to combine the butter into your dry ingredients. Or what my team found the easiest was to just turn on your electric mixer which will do all of the work for you.

Laken H

This week we made quick breads and the ones that came out the best were the ones with the most flavor.

We started the unit by making pancakes and crepes. We made these by whisking the dry ingredients in a small bowl and whisking the wet ingredients in a larger bowl. Then, we combined the dry to the wet, added melted butter, and stirred until it was a consistent batter. Although different ingredients, both the pancakes and crepes were made in a saute pan and both flipped once until evenly cooked. Both came out fairly well, but the crepes tasted better since we topped them off with a melted chocolate sauce. The pancakes were cooked evenly, but lacked flavor.

The next week we made muffins, biscuits and scones. We made the muffins by using the creaming method. First we creamed the butter in a kitchen aid mixer and then added the sugar, followed by the rest of the wet ingredients. Next the dry ingredients were added to the mixture about one cup at a time and mixed until a constistent batter. Then the batter was added to the muffin tins and topped with cinnamon sugar. The next day we used the same method but made pumpkin muffins. The recipe seemed normal, but the pumpkin flavor wasn't very strong and there was also no sweetness so we had to top them with powdered sugar.
The biscuits and scones were made with the biscuit method. This method starts with mixing and dry ingredients and then adding small pieces of butter. The butter is then smashed with a fork and knife until there are no large lumps and then the wet ingredients are added. Both had a similar texture, except different flavors because we added chocolate chips to the scones and the biscuits were glazed with melted butter.

Emily, C

Today we made buttermilk pancakes! We put all of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, using a metal whisk to mix them together. Then, we got another mixing bowl and mixed together our eggs and buttermilk together and then added it to our other mixture by making a well in the middle of the dry to add the wet in. Taking a sauce pan, we put butter in the pan to melt so we can add it to our pancake batter to make it smoother (or at least make it smooth enough to pour into our pan to bake them!) Once I started to make mine, they came out looking like an overly fluffy crepe, so I took a picture of the recipe and decided to try them again at home, and this is how they came out! It was so much fun to see them look like actual pancakes this time!



Sarah H.

 

We made buttermilk biscuits. When making them we used the biscuit method. We combined all the dry ingredients to one bowl. While that was being mixed we cut the butter into ¼ inch square. Then, the butter is blended in, making sure there are no big chunks of butter left. Finally, the wet ingredients are added to the dry and the dough is done.

 Another thing that we made was scones. First we added all the dry ingredients into a bowl, and mix it together. Then we took the ¼ inch pieces of butter and added it to the bowl. We used a pastry cutter and cut up all the butter. When all the butter was cut up into small chunks the wet ingredients were added, and combined together to make the dough.

In addition, we also made muffins. During this lab we used the creaming method. The butter and sugar were added to the bowl and mixed until they were soft, then the wet ingredients were added. When those were mixed we added the dry. When we added the dry we added it in about 1 cup at a time.

 

Jessica Longi