Speedy Breads Using New Techniques
Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man Oh, do you know the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane?
Mother Goose
Our society loves bread, but we also insist on convenience. It's not so much
that we want the speed of preparation, per se, but let's face it--we want
bread ready when we want it ready!
Ordinary dough takes 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours to prepare which includes mixing,
kneading, two risings and shapings. However, there is really no step in the
bread making process that cannot in some way be delayed or moved ahead to fit
into a busy schedule. You may sacrifice some quality in flavor or texture,
but you will still have a good loaf. Actually, slowing down the process in
some cases may be more of a convenience for you.
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Activity:
Have your 4-H members look at the variety of bread and bread products
available in a supermarket. Not just in the bakery section, but what is
available in boxes, cans, brown and serve packages, mixes, croutons, bread
crumbs, and in the frozen food section. Scan the product package, not only to
check the ingredients and how they are labeled, but to find new recipe ideas
and variations.
If it is not possible to go to a supermarket as a group, purchase a variety of
products to pass around at a club meeting or copy some of the labels to make
comparisons. (You can do this with flour as well as bread labels.)
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Preparation of homemade yeast bread has been modified over the years to
decrease time in the kitchen. Some recipes offer options to produce a loaf
(for now) and a pan of rolls (for later) or a basic dough that can be "dressed
up" several different ways. New techniques and technology make breads easy to
prepare and yeasts are available to speed the rising time. One company, even
sells bread baking music with their cookbook so the time doesn't seem quite as
long!
More than one author recommends that you finish kneading food processed bread
by hand anyway as "the bread needs the consolation of human warmth". But, you
be the judge! Try these techniques with your group and see also see the
lesson on Speedy Bread Using Technology.
QUICK BREADS
Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake
Toss the pancake--
Catch it if you can.
Christina Rossetti
Quick breads are aptly named. They are easy to put together and easy to clean
up afterwards. Quick breads use products, other than yeast, as leavening.
Baking powder or soda with a food that contains a mild acid are present in
these recipes. Cream of tarter, vinegar, buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt,
molasses, fruit juices, and calcium phosphate are all acidic.
A beaten egg and heated liquids form steam to help the product to rise to full
volume, too.
Flour no longer needs to be sifted. Just stir it gently and spoon it into the
measuring cup and level. Scooping or dipping the flour may cause air pockets
or packing.
Because quick breads contain no yeast, no time is spent kneading or waiting
for the product to rise. (However, in some cases, "quick" is a misnomer as a
few specialty breads made in this manner can take up to two days to prepare!)
Quick breads have a more cake-like texture. The bread will pull away from
the sides when it is done and are better left in the pan for 10-15 minutes (no
more!) before removal.
They are tested with a cake tester or toothpick. (If it comes out clean, the
bread is done.) Also, examples of quick breads are: Traditional banana and
other fruit breads; vegetable breads such as carrot or zucchini; and muffins,
waffles, biscuits, muffins, scones and pancakes. They may contain all-purpose
white, whole wheat or other flours, and/or cornmeal.
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Activity:
There are so many different varieties of quick breads. During a "down" time,
youth can scan a several cookbooks and list the various muffin, scone,
pancake, and biscuit variations.
Check out this recipe chart and have your group prepare and taste a variety of
breads. Also, prepare other quick breads and compare how the amount and kind
of ingredients they contain are similar and different.
Be sure to judge all products so it will be easy to recognize how each should
look and taste. A score card has been included.
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The trick to a speedy product is to have all the ingredients ready, pans
prepared, and the oven preheated before you start making the recipe. Mix dry
and liquid ingredients separately and then stir together only enough to wet
them (yes, it may seem lumpy). Add drained frozen or canned fruit (especially
blue berries) just before baking to prevent leaching their color into the
batter. Bake right away to receive the double action of the baking powder.
Just out of the oven, quick breads will hold their shape better if left in the
pan for 5-15 minutes (no more!) before removing and if they are made in small
quantities rather than in large batches.
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Activity:
The reason quick breads are stirred and baked quickly is to take full
advantage of the qualities of the soda or double-acting baking powder. Try
this speedy experiment with your group to learn more about these leavening
products. This experiment will also help you test the quality of your baking
powder or soda if it has been stored in the cupboard for some time.
See Baking Soda Work:
--------------------
Mix 1/2 teaspoon baking soda with 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.
Add 1/2 cup warm water.
What happens? Try other types of acids (listed above) in place of the cream
of tartar, too.
See Baking Powder Work:
----------------------
Mix 3/4 teaspoon double acting baking powder into a 1/2 cup of water in a
large glass measuring cup. What happens?
Put the cup in the microwave oven and heat for one minute on high power.
The baking powder reacts twice. Once in the mixture and again while heated.
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Some people seem to want quick breads to be even quicker. Notice the number
of quick bread, biscuit and pancake mixes on the grocery shelves. Experiment
with these breads and scan the directions on the boxes or packages for
interesting new ideas and recipe variations. Or, develop a mix from your
favorite recipes, just by pre-combining the dry ingredients. Store in an
airtight container, label and date it, and tape recipes you use on the
container itself.
Baking mixes may be purchased, but they are easy to make, too. Both are
fairly interchangeable (check the ingredient label) so if you have recipes
that work with the commercial mixes, a homemade mixes should work, too.
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Activity:
Check the labels of the commercial baking mixes at a grocery store. Compare
the ingredients, the nutrient information, and the price.
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Baking Mix
----------
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups whole wheat flour*
1/3 cups nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients together until well blended.
Cut in shortening until well mixed using a pastry blender or two knives
criss-crossing each other until the mixture is like small peas. Store in a
closed, covered can or jar. Use in one month or refrigerate. Stir lightly
mixture lightly before using in a recipe as flour tends to pack down. Note:
You may also substitute all-purpose flour or use enriched cornmeal or rolled
oats for all or part of the whole wheat flour.
The following are recipes you may use with the baking mix:
Pancakes
--------
2 cups Baking Mix
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
Put all the ingredients in a bowl. Stir just enough to moisten dry
ingredients. Use a large serving spoon, label or scoop to drop the pancake on
a greased skillet. A skillet is hot when tiny drops of water dance on it.
Cook slowly until the surface is covered with bubbles. Turn and cook until
the second side is lightly browned.
Biscuits
--------
2 cups baking mix
1/2 cup water
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add water to the dry mix. Stir about 20
times. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board or table top. Knead it 10-15
strokes. Roll or pat to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter,
inverted glass or cut into squares with a knife. Bake on an ungreased baking
sheet for 12-15 minutes. To vary, add ONE of these to the dry mix.
1/3 cup grated sharp cheese
1/4 cup minced cooked bacon
1/3 cup raisins and 1 tablespoon sugar
Easy Pizza Mix
--------------
2 cups baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (8 ounce tomato sauce
2-3 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 pound browned ground beef or sliced frankfurters
8 ounces shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Measure mix into a bowl. Add water and stir
to form a soft dough. Knead 5-6 times. Spread dough on a baking sheet.
Crimp edges. Spread tomato sauce over dough. Sprinkle with remaining
ingredients. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges are brown and cheese
melts.
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Activity:
Young people may want to discover how much time mixes really save. Have them
prepare the recipes from scratch and then use a mix. What is the difference?
Is there a way to speed preparation methods without sacrificing safety in the
kitchen?
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SELF-RISING FLOUR
Self-rising flour and cornmeal were developed to speed the preparation of
quick breads. Self-rising flour already includes baking powder and salt. If
the recipe calls for self-rising flour or cornmeal, but you have none, add 1
1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Don't use self-rising
flour in the place of other flours in a regular recipe unless you remove the
leavening and the salt. (Excellent recipes for self-rising flour are included
in the book, Baking Basics by the Home Baking Association, 1992.)
BATTER BREADS
For table or snacks
Where bread is a must,
You can make such a treat
Without lots of fuss
Kneading you don't
Beating you do
Try batter breads now
They're sure to please you.
anon
Batter breads and rolls are a quicker, easier way to bake with yeast because
they don't require kneading. You simply mix the batter bread (mixing develops
the gluten) and let it rise in a large bowl. Since the yeast batter is
thinner than regular dough it rises more quickly. After rising, the batter is
moist and the surface is somewhat pebbly because of the small bubbles just
under the surface. The top is slightly rounded and feels soft. Batter bread
will not be as fine textured or as delicate as kneaded bread.
With a large spoon, stir the raised batter to break up large air bubbles and
pour it into a greased casserole, baking pan or muffin tin. Batter breads
take on the shape of the baking pan or casserole and come out looking flatter
on top. Watch that they do not rise too much above the pan as they have a
more open texture and may collapse in the middle while baking. Fill
containers or pans no fuller than 2/3 to 3/4 full.
QUICK YEAST AND LEAVENING
Rapid-rise, quick-rise and instant yeasts are all fast-acting yeasts. These
yeasts are finely ground and absorb moisture quickly to convert starch and
sugar into carbon dioxide, the bubbles that make the dough expand and stretch.
They can cut the bread's rising time almost in half, but are not well suited
for breads that need more than two risings, long periods of fermentation or
the whole wheat cycle on some bread machines.
The rapid-rise yeast is combined with the flour mixture and the liquid that is
added is very warm 120-130 degrees F. instead of 100 to 110 degrees. In this
method, the flour partially insulates the yeast. Start with recipes that are
found on the packages of yeast and in some cookbooks. You might also want to
try a packaged hot-roll mix or make one to use regularly.
There are many techniques that people use to speed the rising (proofing) of
their bread dough though many suggest the long, slow cool rise is preferable
for most doughs to a short warm one. Breads loaded down with heavy
ingredients, such as fruits and nuts, fat, eggs, whole grains or flours with
little gluten will naturally rise more slowly.
SPEEDY PROOFING TECHNIQUES
TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK
Yeast, like men and women, luxuriates in warmer temperatures.
Rising improves the flavor and texture of bread. Dough should be risen
covered in a large greased, ceramic bowl in a warm place and out of a drafts
until it is almost double in bulk. (Some peasant breads are allowed to raise
to triple volume.) Plastic wrap drawn tightly over the bowl to capture
moisture or a towel dampened with room temperature water is best to use for
the first rising and a tightly woven towel for the second. (Measuring and
marking the bowl will help you know when you have reached this point. Most
doughs make 2 loaves--5 cups--mark this place. Then measure another 5 cups of
water in the bowl and mark again. Ceramic or glass bowls are said to keep
dough at a constant temperature during proofing, but they aren't absolutely
necessary.) The reason dough should be covered is so that the dough does not
develop a "skin" that would limit its expansion. (Also, don't forget that
another way to test if a bread has risen enough is to poke two fingers in the
dough near the edge of the bowl--if indentations remain, the dough has risen
enough.)
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Activity:
In our reading, we also came across a number methods to speed the proofing
process that are, shall we say, "unique". Youth may want to try some of these
and we suggest that notes be made of the time saved and whether or not the
technique is easy to manage and produces a quality product. The temperature
that is best for rising is said to be between 80 and 90 degrees F.).
Some cookbook authors consider that speeding the rising time influences the
quality and taste of the bread itself, resulting in a smaller and heavier
loaf. As Chef Pierre Kauffman once remarked, "haste makes waste not taste."
You be the judge!
Method 1: Set covered bowl of dough on a trivet in a gas oven with a pilot
light or in an electric oven that has been pre-heated 1-5 minutes at the
lowest setting and shut off. (Some recommend turning the oven on to warm for
1 minute every 45 minutes or so.) Place a pan of very warm or hot water
underneath or toward the back of the oven provides moisture.
Method 2: Set covered bowl of dough in oven with pan of boiling water on a
lower rack. Do not turn on oven.
Method 3: Pour hot water into the bowl to warm it up, then drain, and dry it
out before greasing the bowl and adding the the bread dough and covering it
up. Put in a draft-free place.
Method 4: Warm the flour slightly before the ingredients are added.
Method 5: Wrap a heating pad around the covered bowl on the lowest setting.
Method 6: Place the covered bowl in a couple of inches of very hot (140
degree) water in the sink covered with several large cookie sheets or a large
highly woven towel over the bowl of bread.
Method 7: Heat 3 cups of water in a 4 cup glass measure for 6-8 minutes on
high power in the microwave oven. Add the covered bowl to the microwave,
leaving the glass measure in the oven. Let dough rise without turning on the
oven again.
Method 8: First check the microwave owner's manual to see if proofing is
recommended. (Yeast dough rising is not recommended in low-wattage microwave
ovens.) If so, follow their directions. Or try this test:
Place 2 tablespoons cold stick margarine in a custard
cup in the center of the oven. (Do not use corn oil
spread or shortening sticks.) Microwave, uncovered, on
10% power (low) for 4 minutes. If the margarine doesn't
completely melt, your microwave can proof yeast dough.
(But, if the margarine does completely melt, your micro-
wave oven puts out too much power at this low setting and
will kill the yeast before the bread has a chance to rise.)
If your oven passed the test, place 3 cups water in a 4
cup glass measure. Cook on 100% power (high) for 6 to 8
minutes or until boiling. Move water to the back of the
oven. Place kneaded dough in a greased microwave-safe bowl,
turning once. Cover with waxed paper and place in the
microwave oven with hot water. Heat dough and water on 10%
power (low) for 13 to 15 minutes or until dough has almost
doubled. Punch dough down; shape as directed. Place shaped
dough in microwave safe loaf "pans". Heat on low for 6 to 8
minutes or until nearly doubled. For round or long loaves
that are shaped on baking sheets or rolls that are shaped in
muffin tins, you'll have to do the second proofing
conventionally.
Method 9: Use a food cooler as a proof box. Put an upside down muffin tin in
the bottom of the cooler with a cooking rack on top. Add a couple of cups of
boiling water to the bottom of the cooler. Set the covered bowl of bread
dough on the rack and place the lid firmly on the cooler. Another cup of
boiling water is added periodically.
Method 10: DO NOT TRY THIS METHOD FOR OBVIOUS REASONS! Raise bread dough in
a heated (but not moving) clothes dryer, radiator or a warm bed.
Method 11: Set covered bowl on top of refrigerator. Set the bowl far enough
back so when the door is opened, the bowl will not fall.
Method 12: Though there is not much written about this method and no
proportions specified, corn syrup in bread dough will tend to rise faster than
granulated sugar.
Method 13: Some folks like to put bread in containers such as coffee cans or
large ice cream containers to rise. They put the plastic tops on the
container and when they pop the dough has risen to the desired level.
Method 14: Some bakers like to drop the dough into a large plastic bag and
let it rise there. Remember to allow for the expansion of the dough during
rising!
Remember, the weather can affect the rising of doughs as temperature and
relative humidity are affected.
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Young people may wish to complete the following chart, making decisions based on
what they have read and experienced in the previous activity.
Some factors affect the rising rate of doughs. Some will speed it up and
others will slow it down. Write the letter of each factor in the appropriate
column:
FACTORS SPEED UP SLOW DOWN
a. too much salt ________ _________
b. no salt ________ _________
c. dissolving yeast in cold water ________ _________
d. warm place to ferment (rise) ________ _________
e. old yeast ________ _________
f. cold milk ________ _________
g. more yeast than recipe calls for ________ _________
h. flours without much gluten ________ _________
g. breads with many added ingredients ________ _________
SPEEDY MEALS MADE WITH BREADS
Not can you make breads in a quick way, but don't forget how bread can quickly
be used to make meals! Be sure to practice making garlic bread, toasted
cheese and other types of sandwiches. These are skills the young person will
use over and over again. The CREATIVE BREAD lesson has information on how to
use leftover breads in quick ways, too.
PREPARATION AND CLEAN-UP
Following directions is a recipe insurance policy. Organize all ingredients
before starting and re-read the recipe so you won't miss a step. Lining up
all the ingredients and tools ahead of time will assure that nothing is left
out, saves steps, and that drawer and cupboard handles will not be smeared
with grease or encrusted with dough.
Whatever method of bread making you try, decreasing the clean-up time goes a
long way to making bread making faster and more fun. Keep a sudsy sink of
bubbles handy and a drain board set up to clean-up as you go. Prepare a wet
cloth and dry towel to wipe hands and pick up spills. Wiping off containers
and put foods back in storage quickly may not save time once you finish but
they may prevent a lot of extra cleaning, food and pest hazards later. Try to
"sandwich" these small chores into times when bread is rising or you are
between steps. It is also a good idea to keep a box of baking soda handy in
case of a small fire on top of the range. (Keep the door closed and turn it
off in case of an oven fire.) Know where the fire extinguisher is located and
how to use it.
Some recipes titles will "brag" that they use only one bowl in preparation.
Most breads, particularly quick and batter breads, use only one bowl.
Watch carefully during rising to make sure the dough does not rise over
double. If it does, you'll have to punch it down and let it rise again.
Be sure the dough is covered. This keeps it from drafts and prevents a crust
from forming on the outside that slows or stops the rising process. Also, use
a tightly woven (not terry) cloth and keep it over but away from the dough,
otherwise the towel is a mess to clean-up. Knowing which steps are important
and why will help you make the best bread baking decisions.
Sprinkle a little salt on hands before washing and the bread dough comes off a
little easier.
Take out sandwich bags or plastic gloves to slide your hands in just in case
the phone rings or some emergency arises.
Scrape and/or soak bread dough crusted pans in cold rather than hot water at
first. The dough will come off easier. Clean, dry and put away knives
immediately. Keep them out of the sink.
Keep pans off floured counters before putting them in the oven. It is very
difficult to remove baked-on substances from pans. Grease (never oil--the
bread absorbs oil) pans or use quality cooking sprays on pans but not on
non-stick finishes. Paper muffin liners are time savers, too.
Speedy breads can be fun. Develop skill at all of the techniques so that
home-made bread is possible in any imaginable situation. The more practice,
the easier and the quicker your bread making will be.
One final note, bread making is not especially fun or speedy if you are tired
or cranky (unless you think kneading will help). Accidents--and bad
products--are caused when we are focused on other problems and can't think
clearly. Also Remember: It is better to be safe than to try to do things too
quickly in the kitchen.
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"The mood you are in will determine how your bread will turn out."
American Indian saying
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This lesson plan was developed by Jan F. Scholl and 4-H Leaders and Members in
Pennsylvania as a part of a grant from National 4-H Council and the
Fleischmann's Yeast Company. No part of this document may be reprinted in any
form without previous permission.
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Contact for questions
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Updated 8/17/05