One day you’re the best thing since sliced bread, the next you’re toast.
— Author Unknown
“Quick” breads use baking powder or baking soda instead of yeast to make them rise. They don’t require much, if any, kneading. They don’t take hours to rise. Put together quickly, they not only taste great but make the whole house smell divine when coming in from the cold. These breads probably will not see the light of the next day to become toast. You can eat them “quick,” too. Bake bread, stay warm, and let it snow!
Spread a little extra peanut butter between slices of the following bread, add sliced bananas or apples, a drizzle of honey, and maybe a slice of bacon for an interesting sandwich combination.
PEANUT BUTTER BREAD
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt.
½ cup sugar
½ cup peanut butter, chilled
1 Tbsp. butter, chilled
1 egg, beaten
1¼ cup milk
1 tsp. grated orange rind
½ cup raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift or stir together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Add peanut butter and butter, cutting with a pastry cutter, two knives or use your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl, beat together egg, milk and orange rind.
Stir milk mixture into crumbled flour-peanut-butter mixture, beating until well-mixed. (Tiny pieces of peanut butter may remain in the batter.)
Pour batter into a well-greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes 1 loaf.
This bread goes well with a fruit board. Also good with chili, barbecued chicken, ribs or wings.
CHEESY BISCUIT LOAF
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. cold butter
1½ cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Add cold butter, and with a pastry cutter, two knives or use your fingers, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in the cheese.
In a small bowl, combine the milk and eggs, and add to the cheese mixture. Stir until just combined.
Pour or spoon into a 9x5x3-inch greased and floured loaf pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until bread tests done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes 1 loaf.
The following recipe produces light, fluffy, mile-high biscuits that are delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
BAKING POWDER BISCUITS
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into chunks, chilled
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, two knives, or use your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl, combine egg and milk using a fork or whisk.
Add egg/milk mixture all at once to flour mixture, and stir with a fork, only until dough forms a lump.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it very gently only a few times using the palms of your hands.
Gently pat the dough into a rectangle shape about ¾-inch thick, and fold it into thirds like folding a letter, then gently roll over the dough using a floured rolling pin until dough is ¾-inch thick.
Use a biscuit/cookie cutter (about 2¼-inch diameter) dipped in flour, and cut biscuits straight down. Alternatively, biscuits can be cut into 2¼-inch squares.
Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm. Makes 12 biscuits.
Eat well, live long, enjoy!
(Questions or tips can be sent to Donna Zitter Bordelon at WhatscookinNEPhilly@gmail.com or in care of the Northeast Times, 2 Executive Campus, Suite 400, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002)
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