Quick breads - American comfort food

HYDE PARK, N.Y. -- A mention of quick breads brings to mind the delicious cakelike breads we associate with American comfort foods. Banana, date-nut and pumpkin breads are traditional American favorites.

As the name indicates, quick breads are quick and easy to make.

Quick breads differ from traditional bread recipes in that they do not require yeast. They are generally higher in fat and liquid content. Although they are called breads, quick breads are not truly breads -- they are more similar to cakes and muffins.

The following quick bread recipes for Country-Style Corn Bread and Pumpkin Bread are among those described and illustrated in "An American Bounty: Great Contemporary Cooking from the Culinary Institute of America." The book is the signature cookbook of the American Bounty restaurant located on the institute's Hyde Park campus.

The recipe for country-style corn bread is traditional in its approach. However, the conventional wisdom about what constitutes the "correct" way to make corn bread varies from one region of the country to another.

Southerners tend to use little if any sugar, and often specify white cornmeal. In other parts of the country, yellow cornmeal is preferred, and the amount of sugar is noticeably increased.

"Quick breads lend themselves to additions and variations of ingredients," says Todd Knaster, lecturing instructor in baking and pastry arts at the institute.

"Chopped lightly toasted nuts, dried fruits or hard grated cheese can be added without having to change anything else. For example, add up to 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese to a country-style corn bread, or replace pumpkin puree with banana puree and use walnuts in place of raisins."

Country-Style Corn Bread

1 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk or buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a 9-inch square pan.

Mix together cornmeal, bread flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir together eggs, buttermilk and oil until blended. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine until just mixed. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 375 F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until surface is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Cool bread in the pan for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

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This pumpkin bread recipe produces a dense, moist bread that delivers the heady aroma and flavor of a pumpkin pie. It is a good bread to serve with a main-course salad, or on its own at breakfast with cream cheese.

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup raisins, plumped (to plump, cover raisins with boiling water, remove from heat and let sit for at least 15 minutes, then drain)

1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin (fresh, canned or frozen)

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 half cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Sift together flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Combine raisins, pumpkin, sugar, eggs and oil in a large bowl and mix well. Stir dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture all at once, and mix just until dry ingredients are blended into batter. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pans and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Let breads cool in pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Ease breads out of pans and continue to cool on a rack.

Chef's Tip: Since the batter is mixed very little once the dry ingredients are added, sift the chemical leaveners (baking powder and baking soda) twice with the flour before incorporating into the wet ingredients. This will ensure a more even distribution of the leaveners, which will give a consistent texture in the final product.