As winter slowly slips away, a lot of us are looking for ways to keep from going crazy during these final weeks of cold and darkness. One traditional outlet has been bread-baking, but even I’ve gotten discouraged by all that proofing and kneading that lead all too often to disappointing results. But Chef Jerry Pellegrino has a counter-proposal: quick breads.
The big difference between ordinary bread and quick breads is the levening, or the means of making the dough rise. Ordinary breads rely on yeast to puff up and lighten the dough. Quick breads use chemistry to do the trick. The key ingredient is baking soda. Instead of the time consuming process of proofing and kneading, you just add the baking soda and let it go to work. Quick, eh?
Somewhere along the line quick breads got the reputation for being a sort of bastardized baking, a down and dirty cheater’s approach. Well that’s just nonsense. A few examples of quick breads would be Irish soda bread, muffins of all sort, and scones. Not exactly outcasts in the food kingdom.
Now baking soda (pure sodium bicarbonate) requires an acidic ingredient (like buttermilk or yogurt) to activate and rise, providing a 3-4x stronger, faster leavening that aids browning. Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda, acid, and cornstarch, often "double-acting" (reacting with moisture, then heat), making it ideal for recipes lacking acid.
TIPS
DO NOT OVERMIX: This is the #1 rule. Mix the wet and dry ingredients only until just combined. A few lumps are perfectly fine and actually desired for a tender texture. Overmixing develops gluten, leading to a tough, chewy, and tunnel-filled bread.
Use the "Muffin Method": Whisk all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet in another, then gently combine them.
Fold in Add-ins: Fold in nuts, fruit, or chocolate chips at the very last second just to distribute.
Measure Flour Correctly: Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly from the bag packs the flour, leading to a dense, dry bread.
Fill 2/3 Full: Do not overfill the pan, or it will overflow. Use leftover batter for muffins.
Preheat and Act Fast: Get the batter into the preheated oven immediately after mixing, as the leavening agent starts working as soon as it hits the wet ingredients.
Irish Soda Bread
1 ¾ cups buttermilk
1 large egg
4 ¼ cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup raisins hydrated in water
Preheat oven & pan options: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). There are options for the baking pan. Use a regular baking sheet and line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (bread spreads a bit more on a baking sheet), or use a seasoned 10-12 inch cast iron skillet (no need to preheat the cast iron unless you want to), or grease a 9-10 inch cake pan or pie dish. You can also use a 5 quart (or higher) Dutch oven. Grease or line with parchment paper. If using a dutch oven, bake the bread with the lid off.
Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Set aside. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. Mixture is very heavy on the flour, but do your best to cut in the butter until the butter is pea-sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture. Gently fold the dough together until dough it is too stiff to stir. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can, then knead for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet/pan. Using a very sharp knife, score a
1/2-inch-deep X into the top. Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45-55 minutes. Loosely tent the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top. For an accurate test, bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads 190°F (88°C).
Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads.
Scones
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, frozen
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream or buttermilk (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1-1.5 cups add-ins such as chocolate chips, berries, nuts, fruit, etc
optional: coarse sugar for topping
Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the yogurt, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the add-ins, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
To make triangle scones: Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges. For smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 wedges. To make 10-12 drop scones: Keep mixing dough in the bowl until it comes together. Drop scones, about 1/4 cup of dough each, 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet.
Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your fridge has space!) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat(s). If making mini or drop scones, use 2 baking sheets. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
Bake for 18-26 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Larger scones take closer to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes.
Al’s note: In the British Isles scones (pronounced skahns over there) are a beloved staple of afternoon tea. Whether plain or mixed with say, currents, they are ubiquitous. The classic accompaniment to a scone is the sinfully delicious Devonshire Clotted Cream and some kind of jam (strawberry seems to be a favorite). The great controversy is whether to put the schmeer of clotted cream on first, then the jam, or vice versa. Families have been known to come to blows over this distinction. The choice is up to you. Either way, the result is addictive.
