Fresh Fruit Quick Breads: In the Pantry Quick Breads, #1

By Joyce Middleton

Seasonal fruit makes delicious and moist quick bread. If you would enjoy baking with fresh fruit and staples you already have in your pantry, then you'll certainly enjoy this recipe book.Too often we end up with extra fruit from our trees in the backyard or fresh fruit we purchased, but it's just sitting in the bowl. Now you have a way to use it and avoid the waste.

Not only are quick breads yummy, you can save money by doing your own baking. How much is a fabulous banana bread or blueberry bread at your local market or bakery? You can create the same delicious bread in your home; not to mention how wonderful your house will smell during and after baking your quick bread.  

Take one of these quick bread recipes and convert it to muffins using the information I have included, if that's what you prefer. Quick bread recipes are equally good served warm, cold or even toasted for breakfast. Decorate the top of your loaf or muffins; serve with ice cream or whipping cream; enjoy with plain or flavored butter. In other words, you can't go wrong with the right quick bread recipes!

You could have your next masterpiece in the oven in 15 minutes, ready to take out of the oven in the next hour!

• Language: English
• Publisher: In the Pantry
• Release date: Oct 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215184417

Book preview

WHY QUICK BREAD

Iknow I could take hours to create a sweet gift or dessert that everyone would ooh and ahh at, but I’d rather spend my time on a recipe everyone wants to share with their family and friends. I don’t know many people who want to spend all their time in the kitchen, and I’ll bet you don’t either.

Quick bread does not use any yeast and therefore, doesn’t require extra time to knead and rise. Instead, other agents are used to increase the volume, shape, and texture. These leavening agents could be baking soda plus an acid such as lemon juice, buttermilk, or cream of tartar. Baking powder is another leavening agent that already contains an acid and only needs a liquid to create the required action. Where yeast breads can be tricky due to external factors such as temperature, quick breads are quite simple, uniform, and reliable.

Not only are quick breads yummy, but you can also save money by doing your own baking. How much is a fabulous banana bread or cinnamon bread at your local market or bakery?  You can create the same delicious bread in your home. Not to mention how wonderful your home will smell during and after baking your quick bread.

In other words, you can’t go wrong with the right quick bread recipes!  You could have your next masterpiece in the oven in 15 minutes, ready to take out of the oven in the next hour!  Get ready to rock your next gift, event or meal with the perfect sweet quick bread guaranteed to make you the talk of your social circle.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Quick breads should be quick – right?  I don’t know about you, but when I am ready to bake, I usually want to use up ingredients I already have in my home. There are times I will find a recipe and then go shopping to purchase everything I need, but not very often. That’s why I have ordered this book by the items you may already have.

Whether fresh or canned fruit is available, I have included all my favorite quick bread recipes organized by the major ingredient. Don’t waste good fruit when you can use it to create luscious bread your family and friends will enjoy! 

Producing the Best Breads

NO MATTER HOW GOOD the recipe is, the bread you create will depend on your oven temperature, ingredients, and your loaf pans. The ideal quick bread is full of flavor and is very moist.

(1) Flavor – The best flavor comes from using quality ingredients and ripe fruit. Make sure your butter, oil, eggs, and other ingredients are fresh, otherwise your bread may turn out flat and forgettable. You’ll also improve the flavor of most quick breads by letting it sit overnight.

(2) Texture – Good texture comes from not over mixing the batter. Stop mixing just as the flour has disappeared in the liquid mixture, otherwise your bread will take on a rubber texture.

(3) Moistness – There is a very fine line between your bread being done and not done. Once you check the center of the cake and you think it needs another ten minutes, don’t do it! Be sure to check it in five minutes because those extra five minutes may be too much, making the sides and bottom too brown. Now you have lost the nice, moist bread you were hoping for.

(4) Timing – How do you know when it’s done?  Before I mention checking the bread, it’s even more important that you set your timer ten minutes before your recipe states. This way you are sure to not bake it too long. If you’re an experienced baker, you can probably tell when the bread is done just by the smell. Most people recommend using a toothpick, which is fine but, I prefer to use a sharp knife. The toothpick is just too small to really know if it’s done. With a knife, you can tell if it has baked all the way through. Trust me – it just works.

(5) Temperature – Your oven temperature is very important in baking because baking is an exact science. I recommend having a hanging thermostat in the oven, so you know precisely how your oven registers. This allows you to make any adjustments necessary. If you are using Pyrex pans, the general rule is to