The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book Part 17

Garbanzo Rice Bread - 5 cups brown rice flour (830 g) - cup garbanzo flour (70 g) - 1 tablespoon salt (16.5 g) - 2 cups tepid water (635 ml) - 4 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 14 g) - cup warm water (120 ml) - 2 tablespoons honey (30 ml) - cup oil (60 ml) - cup methocel (28 g) This bread has a mellower flavor and keeps better than the plain Brown Rice Bread.

Follow the mixing and rising instructions for Brown Rice Bread. Use only two loaf pans and bake slightly longer, about 50 minutes to an hour.

Soy-Raisin Rice Bread - 6 cups brown rice flour (600 g) - 2 tablespoons soy flour (7 g) - 1 tablespoon salt (16.5 g) - 2 cups tepid water (635 ml) - 4 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 14 g) - cup warm water (120 ml) - cup honey (80 ml) - cup oil (60 ml) - cup raisins (70 g) - cup methocel (28 g) Denser, cakier, more filling, this bread adds variety and interest. The slice is golden in color and soft, almost like pound cake.

Mix and let rise like Brown Rice Bread, incorporating the soy flour into the first mixing and the raisins along with the honey. Divide the dough into two loaves only, and bake cooler and longer, at 325F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until done.

Iddlis In South India, breakfast often means iddlis with chutney or the spicy stew called Sambar. Iddlis are made from simple ingredients, but their preparation calls for considerable artistry, and their flavor is a subtle, sophisticated one that speaks of the ancient heritage from which they come. We include them here because to us they are the very most wonderful of rice foods; and with their breadlike texture (never gummy, please), they provide at least as much satisfaction when b.u.t.tered and eaten for breakfast as our own toast. They are feathery-light when properly prepared, slightly chewy, with a full, tangy flavor.

Indian cooks make iddlis from a special kind of rice and a legume called urid dal, or black gram. The rice and dal are soaked and wet-ground separately, then mixed together with salt and fermented for about 24 hours. When the batter is just right, it is cooked in a special utensil.

Our friend Madhuri Thathachari, a most charming and accomplished South Indian lady, has helped us to develop the recipe that follows. To achieve best results, we call for parboiling short-grain rice, which prevents the iddlis from getting gummy. Don't try to use long-grain rice because it makes iddlis that are heavy and wet.

If you can get it, use urid dal from an Indian specialty shop-the split hulled kind are easiest to use. Ordinary garbanzo beans also work very well. Their flavors are different, but both are delicious: iddlis made with urid dal are tangy and sophisticated, the garbanzo iddlis are mellower and more familiar to the Western palate.

If you want to use unhulled dal as they do in South India, wash it well after the first soaking period, flooding the dal and letting the hulls float off the top as you swish the beans with your hand. Be thorough: the black hulls change the color of the iddlis from snowy white to gray, with black specks. Iddlis made with garbanzo beans are creamy white perforce.

EQUIPMENT You will need a blender for grinding and either a real iddli pan or a covered skillet with an egg poacher. The real iddli pan will hold 12 or more at once, a much more practical number for serious iddli fans. Since the iddlis will be steamed, the egg poacher or iddli pan must have a tight-fitting lid. Note that the rice and beans need to set for 6 to 8 hours before you begin and the batter needs to ferment for 24 to 30 hours. You will need a blender for grinding and either a real iddli pan or a covered skillet with an egg poacher. The real iddli pan will hold 12 or more at once, a much more practical number for serious iddli fans. Since the iddlis will be steamed, the egg poacher or iddli pan must have a tight-fitting lid. Note that the rice and beans need to set for 6 to 8 hours before you begin and the batter needs to ferment for 24 to 30 hours.

Wash the rice and pick over the beans and wash them separately. Pour the rice into about a quart of vigorously boiling water and let it cook exactly three minutes, then remove and drain immediately. The rice will swell a little, but it should not become soft or white.

- 1 cup short- or medium-grain brown rice (200 g) - cup split black gram or garbanzo beans (100 g) - 1 cup water, for grinding (235 ml) - teaspoon salt (2.75 g) Soak the parboiled rice and the dal separately in tepid water for 6 to 8 hours at warm room temperature. Drain, but do not rinse.

To blend the legumes a mortar and pestle are used in India. Here put enough in the blender or processor to cover the blades and add tepid water to nearly, but not quite, cover. Blend to a smooth, medium-thick paste; the garbanzo paste will be a little less smooth than that made from the dal. Repeat as necessary until all the beans are blended.

Measure the rice and water into the blender in the same way. Blend, but before the mixture loses its granular quality, stop and feel its consistency with your fingers. Do not let it become completely smooth. Do not let it become completely smooth. It should feel like a thick paste with many grains of sand scattered throughout. It should feel like a thick paste with many grains of sand scattered throughout.

Combine the rice and legume pastes, and add the salt. Use your clean hands to stir the mixture vigorously for seven to ten minutes: this step is essential. It incorporates air into the mixture so that it changes from a heavy paste to a light batter. Hand-mixing may also help to set up the right fermentation, but we have also used an electric mixer at medium speed and have had good results. The batter should be thick, of dropping consistency. If yours is too thin, make Dosas instead of iddlis this time: see the recipe.

Set the iddli batter aside to ferment in a covered container, like a gla.s.s baking dish. The batter is ready when it rises up in the bowl and looks bubbly on the surface. If you keep it at room temperature, from 70 to 80F, it will take 24 to 30 hours to ferment properly. Kept warmer than 90F it will lose its delicate mild flavor and become fiercely sour. If your house is too cool, keep the batter in the oven with the pilot or light bulb on, holding the door partway open with a rolled-up towel, or else find a place where you can maintain a 70 to 80F temperature.

Traditionally the cups for cooking the iddli are greased with ghee, a specially prepared sort of clarified b.u.t.ter; but regular b.u.t.ter or any semisolid shortening will do. Spoon about three tablespoons of batter into each cup. Since poached-egg containers are a little deeper than iddli cups, they should be only about two-thirds full. Steam over boiling water in a tightly covered pan for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. They should rise beautifully and be light and fluffy, gently rounded on the top.

Remove the pan from the steam and let the iddli stand in their cups for a minute, then scoop them out with a table knife. They should come out easily. b.u.t.ter and serve hot. The batter can be kept for one day in the refrigerator, then brought to room temperature, and steamed.

Makes about 12 iddlis.

Dosas If you have more than enough iddli batter for one meal, you can thin it out and use it to make dosas, a crepe-thin pancake. Thin with water to the consistency of crepe batter and pour and turn it in a skillet as you would a crepe. For a more authentic and crisper version, spoon a slightly thicker batter into the center of a griddle heated slightly less than for pancakes. Use the back of a large spoon to spread the batter thin in a clockwise spiral. Turn when slightly brown and pulling away from the pan.

Eat dosas as you would a savory crepe, or serve them with this delicious chutney.

Meera's Chutney - cup shredded coconut - 2 tablespoons oil - 1 chopped onion - 2 cloves garlic - 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped - 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger - teaspoon salt - 1 green chili (optional) - 1 tablespoon oil - teaspoon black mustard seeds If you are using dried coconut, pour over it just enough hot water to cover, and let stand for an hour or more.

Saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add tomato, ginger, salt, and chili, if used. Cook until the tomatoes are soft. Add coconut and puree in blender, processor, or food mill.

Heat the tablespoon of oil in a tiny, heavy pan. Add the mustard seed and allow it to pop, then immediately immediately turn the seeds into the tomato mixture. Stir together, and taste for salt. turn the seeds into the tomato mixture. Stir together, and taste for salt.

Make the chutney quite thick when you will serve it with dosas. For iddli, it should be more soupy, so add tomato juice or water as needed.

VARIATIONS When pureeing the tomato, you can add a handful of either fresh coriander leaves, or several very tender small lemon leaves. When pureeing the tomato, you can add a handful of either fresh coriander leaves, or several very tender small lemon leaves.

Rice Waffles - 1 cups raw brown rice - 1 cups water from soaking the rice - cup raw soybeans - teaspoon salt - 1 tablespoon oil a few drops of lecithin This recipe is adapted from the one in Oats, Peas, Beans & Barley Cookbook Oats, Peas, Beans & Barley Cookbook by Edyth Cottrell. Note that both the rice and beans must be soaked for 24 hours before using. by Edyth Cottrell. Note that both the rice and beans must be soaked for 24 hours before using.

Soak the rice 24 hours in 3 cups water. Drain, reserving 1 cups water. At the same time, soak the soybeans separately for 24 hours. Drain, discarding the water.

Put all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until light and fluffy. Let stand at least while waffle iron heats, a half hour if convenient. Blend again briefly just before using.

Grease the hot waffle iron lightly with a brush, using a solid shortening or an oil and lecithin mixture (see this page this page). Usually the iron need be greased only for the first waffle. Pour in cup of the batter or more, depending on the size of your iron. Bake for 8 minutes; do not open the waffle iron before 8 minutes are up. Really, don't.

This recipe makes about half a dozen waffles, depending on the size of your iron.

VARIATIONS Subst.i.tute garbanzo beans for the soybeans. Subst.i.tute garbanzo beans for the soybeans.

Subst.i.tute cup raw cashews, almonds, sunflower or sesame seeds for the soybeans. They don't need to be soaked.

Sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on the waffle before closing the top down.

Quick Rice Breads These tasty breads will be useful to people who can tolerate dairy products. Bread needs something something to hold it together; these breads depend on eggs. to hold it together; these breads depend on eggs.

Cranberry Rice Bread - cup coa.r.s.ely chopped fresh cranberries - cup chopped raisins OR OR - use all raisins - cup chopped walnuts - 1 tablespoon undyed orange rind - 1 cups brown rice flour - cup potato flour - 1 teaspoons baking powder - teaspoon soda - teaspoon salt - 3 tablespoons honey - 2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter or oil - 2 eggs, slightly beaten - cup orange juice - 2 tablespoons lemon juice A pretty, tart, and holiday-festive loaf, good for breakfast or tea time. When made with only raisins, it misses the colorful sparkle of the cranberries, and is much sweeter.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8 4 loaf pan. 4 loaf pan.

Stir together berries, raisins, nuts, and orange rind. Sift the flours, baking powder, soda, and salt into the bowl and stir all of them together.

Beat the honey with the b.u.t.ter or oil, then add the eggs and orange and lemon juices, stirring as you add them. Mix until smooth. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just enough to moisten.

Bake about 45 minutes; cool before slicing.

Banana Rice Bread This is a small loaf, more desserty.

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a small-sized loaf pan.

Sift the dry ingredients together, except the tapioca and the nuts. Now stir in tapioca and the nuts if you use them.

Blend the remaining ingredients together and then add the dry ingredients to them. Mix well and pour into the loaf pan. Bake about 50 minutes, or until the bread tests done with a toothpick or small sharp knife. Allow it to stay in the pan for 10 minutes before removing, and then let it cool completely before slicing.

- 1 cups brown rice flour - 2 tablespoons potato flour - 2 teaspoons baking powder - teaspoon salt - teaspoon baking soda - 2 tablespoons tapioca (quick-cooking) - cup chopped walnuts, (optional) - 2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter or oil - 3 tablespoons honey - cup b.u.t.termilk - 2 medium-sized bananas, mashed - 2 eggs, slightly beaten Basic Rice Quick Bread A plain, pretty loaf, somewhere on the pound-cake side of bread, but not too sweet for many kinds of sandwiches.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 4 loaf pan. 4 loaf pan.

Sift together rice flour, potato flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

If you use b.u.t.ter, cream the honey and b.u.t.ter and then beat in the milk and eggs; if you use oil, simply mix them all together, then combine the wet and dry ingredients quickly and turn into the greased pan.

Bake about 45 minutes or a little longer. Let cool ten minutes, then tip the loaf out of the pan. Cool on rack for at least half an hour before cutting.

- 2 cups brown rice flour - cup potato flour - cup cornstarch - 2 tablespoons baking powder - teaspoon salt - 3 tablespoons oil or b.u.t.ter - 2 tablespoons honey - 1 cups milk - 2 eggs, slightly beaten Rice-Sesame Crackers - 3 cups water - 1 cup brown rice - teaspoon salt - 3 tablespoons sesame seeds This recipe is from The Good Goodies The Good Goodies by Stan and Floss Dworkin (Rodale, 1974). The crackers are much better than the store-bought kind and are simple and easy to make once you get the hang of it. by Stan and Floss Dworkin (Rodale, 1974). The crackers are much better than the store-bought kind and are simple and easy to make once you get the hang of it.

Boil the water and add the rice and salt. Bring back to full boil, then cover and simmer over low flame for 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the sesame seeds. Mash using a potato masher; be pretty vigorous about this.

When cool enough to handle, form the rice into two flat discs, pressing and squeezing to get the rice to stick together. Oil two baking sheets generously. Put one disc in the center of each sheet, then pat and press it into a flat rectangle, keeping the sides tidy. Cover with a sheet of waxed paper as big as the baking sheet, and roll with a rolling pin until it is as thin as possible; patching is quite legal. (Anyhow, the crumbles are as delicious as the crackers.) Remove the waxed paper and cut the dough into whatever size and shape please you.

Bake at 325F for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until crisp; the edges usually lift off the baking sheet at this stage, and when you pull a piece off, it breaks quite crisply. The crackers will not brown very much.

*Corn may be tolerated also. When you see references to "corn gluten," it is corn protein protein that is meant, not gluten in the allergic sense. Our recipe for Basic Cornbread is glutenfree. that is meant, not gluten in the allergic sense. Our recipe for Basic Cornbread is glutenfree."Evaluation of the health aspects of cellulose and certain cellulose derivatives as food ingredients." FASEB/SCOGS Report 25 (NTIS PB 274667) 1974; cited in 274667) 1974; cited in The Food Additives Book The Food Additives Book, Willis A. Gortner and Nicholas Freydberg, Bantam 1982.

Quick Breads & m.u.f.fins For rounding out a simple dinner when time is short, or making Lunch Lunch out of lunch, a batch of m.u.f.fins or a spicy loaf of Persimmon Bread can be just the thing. Quick breads offer variety, interest, and flexibility, complementing rather than competing with the long-rising breads that are our staff of life. out of lunch, a batch of m.u.f.fins or a spicy loaf of Persimmon Bread can be just the thing. Quick breads offer variety, interest, and flexibility, complementing rather than competing with the long-rising breads that are our staff of life.

Without the fermentation period that gives yeasted breads their fullness of flavor, quick breads depend solely on their ingredients to give them pizzazz. Most quick bread recipes that we have seen roaming at large in the world call for a humongous amount of fat and, often, of sugar too. They are in fact not breads at all, but greasy cakes, hiding behind the una.s.suming innocence of names like "Wheat Germ Zucchini Loaf." Tasty, but good grief! A whole cup of oil, and two of sugar in one one loaf? loaf?

The breads in this section are lean by comparison to such delicacies, but they are just as delicious. Natural ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices supply their full, satisfying flavors. The recipes call for a minimum of fat and sweetener to make the breads tender and tasty. We have included flours and grains other than wheat here and there, and have tried to describe some of their possiblities and limitations. We who eat wheat bread every day welcome the variety the other grains offer. Since quick breads do not depend completely on gluten for their rise and cohesiveness (particularly if the recipe calls for egg) some, or even all, of their flour can come from oats, rye, corn, or rice.

Leavenings for Quick Breads BAKING POWDER.

Ordinary double-acting baking powders are effective, and of the several kinds of baking powder, they are the least bitter. If you prefer to avoid the aluminum salts that these products contain, the old-fas.h.i.+oned cream of tartar baking powders-either made at home or bought in natural foods stores-work perfectly well. To make your own, use teaspoon cream of tartar plus teaspoon bicarbonate of soda per cup of flour; this is the equivalent of a teaspoon of single-acting baking powder. Make it fresh each time, or make extra and store it airtight, but only for short periods.

If quick breads appear often on your table, the sodium content of these products and their destruction of thiamine may be more significant considerations than whether or not they contain aluminum.

One teaspoon of baking soda contains 1360 mg of sodium; commercial soda-based baking powders vary, ranging from those made with cream of tartar, with 200 mg, to the double-acting kind, with 330 mg sodium per teaspoon. Those who need to limit their sodium intake carefully can look for pota.s.sium bicarbonate baking powder at the health food store, or even in some supermarkets. If your pharmacist will order pota.s.sium bicarbonate for you, you can use it in recipes that call for baking soda, and you can make your own sodium-free baking powder at home: 2 cups arrowroot, 2 cups cream of tartar, 1 cup pota.s.sium bicarbonate. Store airtight; use an amount equivalent to normal baking powder. Some people find pota.s.sium baking powders slightly more bitter than ordinary powders; if you do, probably you will have the best results using them in the more highly flavored or very sweet breads and m.u.f.fins.

Sodium and aluminum aside, chemical leavenings always generate an alkaline pH and this destroys the B vitamin thiamine, which you would expect to be plentiful in a whole-grain product.

For good rising power with a minimum of baking powder, we suggest using 1 teaspoon per cup of flour.

SODA.

In batters with a lot of acid ingredients, baking soda can be used by itself (or in combination with baking powder) to get a good rise without the addition of extra acid salts. The quant.i.ties are already worked out in the recipes, of course, but if you need to subst.i.tute or are making up your own recipe, here are some equivalents. The amounts are approximate because many of these ingredients vary in their acidity from one time to the next, and other ingredients in the batter act as buffers, too. Nevertheless, here is a rough guideline to use for balancing.

- teaspoon soda PLUS PLUS - 1 cup fully soured milk or b.u.t.termilk - teaspoon soda PLUS PLUS - 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice - teaspoon soda PLUS PLUS - to cup mola.s.ses or honey (To sour milk: 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice or 1 teaspoons cream of tartar plus milk to make 1 cup. Let stand five minutes.) NOTE There is close to teaspoon baking soda in each teaspoon of baking powder. There is close to teaspoon baking soda in each teaspoon of baking powder.

Don't mix soda and acid liquids together. Sift the soda (and cream of tartar) along with the dry ingredients, and measure the liquids with the liquid measure. mix soda and acid liquids together. Sift the soda (and cream of tartar) along with the dry ingredients, and measure the liquids with the liquid measure.

Always sift dry leavenings with the flour because if there are even small lumps, the final product will have little dark brown places that are impressively bitter.

EGGS.

Adding an egg or two to a quick bread makes it lighter, and its flavor subtler-one reason that breads with more eggs often have more sugar and flavorings, too. In addition, eggs act as binders, making the texture less crumbly; but if wheat flour is included, eggs are not necessary.

Egg can provide enough leavening in a simple recipe-one that is not heavily laden with fruit, for example-so that you need no baking powder or soda at all. Use one egg per cup of flour, beating the yolks separately into the combined fat and sweetener, folding the stiffly beaten whites into the batter as the last step. Reduce the liquid measure by about 2 tablespoons for each egg you add to the recipe.

FLOURS.

Because they do not depend entirely on gluten for rising, quick breads and m.u.f.fins can make good use of flours other than wheat, especially if the recipe includes some wheat flour or an egg or two. They'll make a bread heavier than you'd get with wheat, though rolled oats-not really a flour, of course-can make astonis.h.i.+ngly light, very pretty breads and m.u.f.fins. For one cup wheat flour, you can subst.i.tute about: - 1 cup rye flour or cornmeal - cup buckwheat, rice, or barley flour - 1 cup bean flour - 1 cup rolled oats Keep the flavor and the mood of your proposed subst.i.tute in mind when you plan your bread. None of these characters is a straight-across double for wheat; each has its own personality. Most perform better supported by wheat flour.

On the other hand, to use bread flour as the only only flour, especially in plain loaves or m.u.f.fins, makes for a flat flavor, and if the vigor of your mixing develops the gluten, the bread will be chewy where it should be tender. Most of the recipes for quick loaves call for a combination of bread and pastry flours, but if all-purpose whole wheat flour is available in your area, and convenient in your kitchen, you could use it instead of the combined bread- and pastry-flour measures. m.u.f.fins, and even loaves without the extra burden of fruits and nuts, are perhaps best with whole wheat pastry flour only. flour, especially in plain loaves or m.u.f.fins, makes for a flat flavor, and if the vigor of your mixing develops the gluten, the bread will be chewy where it should be tender. Most of the recipes for quick loaves call for a combination of bread and pastry flours, but if all-purpose whole wheat flour is available in your area, and convenient in your kitchen, you could use it instead of the combined bread- and pastry-flour measures. m.u.f.fins, and even loaves without the extra burden of fruits and nuts, are perhaps best with whole wheat pastry flour only.

WHEAT GERM.

Wheat germ can add a lot to quick breads, both in flavor and texture, and many of our recipes call for it. We prefer toasted to raw. Wheat germ goes rancid very fast, so don't buy it in large quant.i.ties and do store it in the refrigerator.

Liquids, Fats, Sweeteners, Tidbits WATER; any form of milk; potato cooking broth; fruit juice; crushed, stewed, blended, grated raw fruits; zucchini (as if I had to tell you)-any of these can provide acceptable "wet" ingredients for a quick bread. As a rule of thumb, use about to cup liquid for each cup of flour. Of course this will vary with both the nature of the liquid and the type of flour. If you are adding cooked beans or grains, reduce the liquid measure by about cup for each cup of beans or cereal you add. We have tried to include recipes that exemplify many of these options so that you can use them as guidelines in devising your own.

FAT in quick breads may be oil or b.u.t.ter or a combination. You can use sesame b.u.t.ter, peanut or other nut or seed b.u.t.ters. If the recipe is plain, choosing dairy b.u.t.ter over oil may make a difference, but if the other ingredients provide interesting flavor, the bread may be just as tasty if you use plain oil. If you do opt for b.u.t.ter, cream it with the sweetener until the mixture is fluffy. The addition of fat in some form contributes tenderness, a soft, moist crumb, and fullness of flavor; we have not found any way to make good quick breads with none at all. in quick breads may be oil or b.u.t.ter or a combination. You can use sesame b.u.t.ter, peanut or other nut or seed b.u.t.ters. If the recipe is plain, choosing dairy b.u.t.ter over oil may make a difference, but if the other ingredients provide interesting flavor, the bread may be just as tasty if you use plain oil. If you do opt for b.u.t.ter, cream it with the sweetener until the mixture is fluffy. The addition of fat in some form contributes tenderness, a soft, moist crumb, and fullness of flavor; we have not found any way to make good quick breads with none at all.

SWEETENERS tenderize the crumb, too, and help the bread cook properly, though if you use enough sweet fruit-bananas, for example, or dates-you actually can make a pa.s.sable sweet-flavored loaf or m.u.f.fin without adding the likes of honey or mola.s.ses. More practical, though, it seems to us, is to use a little bit of sweetener and have a better-textured as well as a tastier bread. tenderize the crumb, too, and help the bread cook properly, though if you use enough sweet fruit-bananas, for example, or dates-you actually can make a pa.s.sable sweet-flavored loaf or m.u.f.fin without adding the likes of honey or mola.s.ses. More practical, though, it seems to us, is to use a little bit of sweetener and have a better-textured as well as a tastier bread.

TIDBITS-chopped dried fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains-can be folded in when you're combining the wet and dry ingredients. If it's protein you're after, you can incorporate as much as a cup of grated tofu or cup cooked soy grits in a quick loaf. Choose a recipe that has plenty of flavor, like Mince Spice Loaf or Applesauce Bread on 323. The soy will make the bread's flavor blander.

Nearly everyone has tried the standard zucchini loaves by now, and if you have gotten this far with us, you already know how we feel about them, too. But our own experiments with using zucchini in quick breads have been pretty rewarding, and a few have been good enough to include in this collection. We prefer to add zucchini to herby/savory/cheesy bread or m.u.f.fins or to cornbread, where it helps to make the bread moist and light. By the by, if the family turns green around the subject of zucchini late in August, try growing some of the yellow kind next year. The flavor is superb, and grated into cornbread, it really does disappear-providing that you don't get carried away quant.i.ty-wise. Start with a cup per recipe, and see how it goes; we like the Basic Cornbread (two eggs) when squas.h.i.+ng.

TOPPINGS.

Before you pop your quick bread in the oven, there are various things you can sprinkle on the top for added glamour. Oat flakes, wheat germ, almond meal, sesame or poppy seeds, finely chopped nuts, date sugar-all work well, either alone or in combination.

WHAT IS QUICK?.

One last word. The variety possible in quick breads is really limited only by your own imagination and the time you have to spend chopping and measuring. The recipes here are some we enjoy, but you will not limit yourself to these few. Mostly we have tried to include breads that were not only good but also really quick quick-if half an hour goes by while you measure and chop and fuss, and another hour baking, and then the bread has to wait overnight to be ready to slice, from our point of view, it would hardly qualify as a Quick.

Mixing Ingredients should be at room temperature or a little warmer, even the eggs. This is true for m.u.f.fins, but it is particularly helpful when making loaves, because cold batter heats unevenly: the crust gets too dark before the loaf cooks in the center.