Quick Breads - A Fun and Easy Solution to Bread Making

As a busy mom, a quick and easy recipe is my favorite find. So when it comes to baking bread, "quick breads" are a great solution in my house

A quick bread is a type of bread which uses ingredients such as baking soda or baking powder to leaven. So unlike yeast breads that take hours to rise, quick breads are reliable and fast.

Bread Maker

Most quick breads include five basic ingredients: flour, baking powder or baking soda, eggs, fat (butter, margarine, shortening, or oil), and milk. Any additional ingredients are for customization - like bananas for banana bread.

My easy-to-bake quick bread recipe below is the same base for so many great kinds of breads - banana, pumpkin, carrot, blueberry, cranberry, etc. It can be made as a loaf, muffins or mini-muffins. Some of my tips include:

If making a loaf, use a stone loaf pan - it evenly distributes heat and retains heat Use sour milk Use overly ripe fruit (think rotten bananas) If you are using nuts, only put them on top so those who don't prefer nuts can remove them

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 T vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 bananas - mashed
1/2 cup nuts - chopped (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Combine milk and vinegar. Set aside to give milk time to curdle.

3) In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, and salt.

4) Combine oil, eggs, vanilla, milk, bananas. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in bananas.

5) Sprinkle nuts on top. Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven.

Quick Breads - A Fun and Easy Solution to Bread Making