Quick Breads

It is interesting how the same ingredients, mixed in different amounts can make such a range of flavor and style. Pancakes are fluffy, crepes are thin and smooth, and muffins are rich and puffy. In the quick bread unit we learned how to make a variety of flavors using the same general ingredients, however using different methods. We used the “biscuit-method” and the “creaming-method”. We began with what seemed the most simple but turned out to be very tricky: pancakes. After making the batter we poured about a quarter of a cup onto the pan and waited to see the bubbles in order to know that they were ready to flip. It seems like an easy process however, the flipping required quick hands and the perfect amount of Pam, and thickness of the batter. This was a difficult task for my group to do.
The next quick bread we made was crepes. This was an easier task made with similar ingredients. This batter was very thin and soupy. In order to make these, we had to pour the batter onto the pan and spread it out. As the crepe is about ready to flip you will be able to see it dry from the outer rim to the center. Once the crepe is almost dry in the center you can flip it over and leave it on the stove for a minute or two then take it off and add a garnish such as melted chocolate, powdered sugar, etc.
Another quick bread we made was biscuits; in order to make this batter we used the “biscuit-method” by cutting the butter into the dry ingredients. By doing this we created the light and airy feeling of biscuits because the butter melted and created little holes in the dough to make the thin layers of the biscuits. The biscuits turned out deliciously buttery.
The final quick bread we made was muffins. To make this dough, we used the “creaming-method”. This created the thick batter that rose in the oven. The muffins were the easiest to make because they had a simple batter, and all that needed to be done was put them in a greased muffin pan. The final product of the muffin recipe was very tasty.
Some difficulties we had to overcome was mise en place, and following directions. Often times we had to stop what we were doing in order to get more materials to make/cook our recipe. Another difficulty we faced was following specific directions. For example: in our second muffin recipe we needed to mix the oil with the sugar first and then add the dry ingredients, however we mixed the sugar with the dry ingredients. Gratefully, the muffins turned out great and the batter ended out fine. The quick breads unit was a very savory unit!
-Meg M.