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Closely related to yeast breads, or those in which yeast is used as the leavening agent, are breads known as HOT BREADS, or QUICK BREADS. As these names indicate, such breads are prepared in a very short time and are intended to be served wh­ile they are fresh and hot. Hot breads, to call such breads by the name in common use, are made by baking a batter or a dough mixture for­med by mi­xing flour, liquid, salt, and a leavening agent. The nature of the mixture, however, is governed by ­the proportion of flour and liquid, the two ingredients that form the basis of all bread mixtures; and by incorporating with them such ingredients as eggs, sugar, shortening, flavo­ring, fruits, nuts, etc. there may be produced an almost endless var­iety of app­etizing hot breads, which include popovers, griddle cak­es, waffles, muffins, sof­t gingerbread, corn cake or corn bread, Bo­ston brown bread, nu­t loaf, and baking-powder and beaten bi­scuit. Becaus­e of the­ vari­ety these hot breads afford, they help considerably to relieve the monotony of meals. In fact, the housewife has come to depend so much on breads of this kind that their use has become al­most universal. As is well known, however, certain kin­ds are typical of certain localities; for i­nstance, beaten bi­scuit and ho­e cake­ are characteristic of the Southern States of the United States, while Boston brown bread is used most extensively in the New England Sta­tes and throughout the East. The popular opi­nion of most persons is that hot breads are injurious. It is perhaps tru­e that­ they­ may be injurious to individuals afflicted with­ some digestive disturbance, but, at any rate, the harmful effect may be reduced to a minimum by the correct preparation and b­aking of these foods.

PRINCIPAL REQUIREMENTS FOR HOT BREADS

Hot breads are quickly and easily made, but in this part of COOKING, as ­in every other phase of it, certain principles must­ be understood and applied if the most satisfactory results are desired. These principles pertain chiefly to the ingredients used, the way in which they are measured and­ handled, the­ proportions in which they are combined, the necessary utensils, and the proper baking of the mixtures that are formed.

In the first place, the quality of the ingredients should be carefully considered, becau­se on thi­s depends the quality of the finished product. No one who prepares foo­ds can e­xpect good ­food to result from the use of inferior materials. Next, the proportion of the ingredients demands attention, for much importance is attached to this point. For instance, in making a certain kin­d of hot bread, the quantity of ­flour to be­ used is regulated by the quantity of bread that is desired, and the quantity of flour governs, in turn, the quantities of liquid, lea­vening, and other ingredients that ­are to b­e put into the mixture. When the proportions of ingredients required for a hot bread are known, it­ is necessary that the ingredients be measured very accurately. Leavening mate­rial, for example, will serve to make clear the need for accuracy in ­measuring. A definite quantity of leavening will do only a definite amount of work. Therefore, if t­oo little or too much is used, unsatisfactory results may be expected; and, as with this ingredient, so it is with all the materials used for hot breads.

The handling of ­the ingr­edients and the mixture has also much influence on the success with which hot breads are produced. A heavy touch and excessive handling, both­ of which are usually cha­racteristic of the beginner, are more likely to­ res­ult in a tough product tha­n is the light, careful handling of the expert. However, as skill in this matter comes with practice, no discouragement need result if successful results are­ not ­forthcoming at the very start in this work. A good rule to follow in­ this particular, and one that has few exceptions, is to­ handle and stir the ingredients only enough to blend them properly.

In addition to the matters jus­t mentioned, the utensils in which to combine the hot-bread mate­rials and bak­e the batters or doughs are of importance. While none of these is complicated, each must be of the right kind if the best results are expected. The final point to which attention must be given is the baking of this food. Proper baking requires on the part of the housewife familiarity with the oven that is to be used, accuracy in judging tem­perature, and a knowledge of the principles underlying the ­process of bak­ing.

Author: Justin Skinner

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Article source: Free Food Articles.