Tender scones, sweet coffeecakes and moist slices of quick breads are just a sampling of the treats known as quick breads. A basket of any one of them brings old-fashioned warmth and hospitality to almost any menu-breakfast, lunch or dinner.
By their very name, quick breads suggest ease. Leavened with baking powder or baking soda instead of yeast, quick breads don`t have rising time as yeast-leavened breads do. Thus their name and also their practicality. Such expediency means that warm coffeecakes can be part of your brunch menu; tea breads can be tucked into lunch boxes, and scones can be a delightful addition to breakfast or teatime.
Three quick bread recipes follow that warrant a second look, not only because they are indeed quick, but because they use the autumn harvest for their delicious inspiration.
Little tart/sweet apple slices add a harvest touch to hearty oatmeal-laced scones. I find that using margarine instead of butter results in a scone that is a bit softer and stays fresh longer, but by all means use butter if you prefer.
APPLE-TOPPED OATMEAL SCONES
Eight 4-inch scones
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 16 minutes
Scones:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup each: rolled oats, raisins
1/3 cup each: sugar, milk, melted unsalted margarine
1 large egg
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping:
2 small tart apples, such as Jonathan
1 1/2 tablespoons melted unsalted margarine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1. Fifteen minutes before baking, place rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Butter a baking sheet.
2. For the scones, mix all the ingredients just until combined-do not overmix. You can do this in a food processor or by hand. The dough will be very moist.
3. Transfer to a large plastic bag and press into a circle, 1/2-inch thick. Tear the bag open and cut dough into 3-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or a clean tuna can. Carefully transfer to prepared baking sheet.
4. For the topping, peel and core apples. Cut in half vertically, then cut each half into eight slices. Fan three slices over the top of each scone. Mix the margarine, sugar and cinnamon and brush over the apples and the exposed surface of the scone.
5. Bake until golden, about 16 minutes. Serve warm. Can be made a day in advance and reheated in a toaster oven.
Purple-blue prune plums are a fall favorite. Tart flavor is part of their charm; good cooking qualities is another. Unlike many plums, they hold their shape when they`re baked and even taste better cooked. Here they crown a rich, sugar-sprinkled coffeecake.
SUGAR CRUSTED PLUM COFFEECAKE
One 9-inch cake
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 Italian prune plums
1. Fifteen minutes before baking, place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Mix the butter, 1/2 cup sugar, egg, sour cream and vanilla with a mixer or the metal blade of a food processor until smooth and light. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix just until combined. Transfer to the prepared pan.
3. Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. Arrange plum-halves over the batter, cut side down, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4-cup sugar.
4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen from the sides of the pan with a knife and remove the sides of the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
As any gardener knows, zucchini grows with such joyous abandon that finding ways to use it all is a full-time job. After several nights of sauteed zucchini and a gallon of zucchini bisque, it`s time to move on. Here is a perennial favorite of gardeners and urban farmers alike, a moist, walnut studded loaf that`s perfect for teatime, snacks or lunch boxes.
SPICED ZUCCHINI NUT BREAD
One loaf
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 70 minutes
1 medium zucchini (10 ounces)
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons each: cinnamon, pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon each: baking soda, salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup minced walnuts
1. Fifteen minutes before baking, place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-cup loaf pan and dust the inside with flour.
2. To make in a food processor, shred the zucchini and leave it in the work bowl. Replace the shredder with the metal blade. Add all the remaining ingredients and process 5 seconds. Run a spatula around the sides of the work bowl, then pulse the machine on and off just enough to combine, three or four times. Do not overprocess.
3. To make by hand or with a mixer, grate the zucchini and set aside. Mix the eggs, sugar and oil until smooth. Fold in the zucchini, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, baking soda, salt, allspice and nuts.
4. Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Can be wrapped airtight and held at room temperature for four days or frozen for four months. –
FROM OVEN TO FREEZER
Most quick breads taste best warm from the oven or within the next several hours, when their aroma still hovers in the air. Loaves are the big exception. They somehow seem better a day or so after they`re baked, as they mellow a bit.
If you won`t be serving muffins, scones or coffeecakes soon after they`re baked, freeze them. Thawed, they`ll be as moist and delicious as freshly baked. To freeze, cool them completely on a wire rack. Then flash-freeze them, uncovered, in a single layer on a baking sheet. As soon as they are frozen all the way through, wrap them in a plastic bag, squeezing out all the air and sealing it tightly. Label the bag with the contents and the date. For an extra measure of protection from freezer burn, put that bag in another plastic bag and seal it. Store for up to four months.
Thaw at room temperature, still wrapped. Reheat in a microwave oven on medium power or in a 300-degree oven until quite warm, but not hot. –
CHOCOLATE! Now that I have your attention, I need your help. I`m looking for the perfect chocolate cake. If you think yours is it, send the recipe to Abby Mandel, Box 127, Winnetka, Ill. 60093. Recipes must be received by Oct. 5.
