Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [149]
To store: Cool completely, then place in a sealable plastic bag and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Lemonade Blueberry Bread: Fold 1 cup fresh blueberries into the batter along with the flour mixture.
Lemonade Poppy Seed Bread: Add 3 tablespoons poppy seeds into the dry ingredients with the flour.
Limeade Bread: Substitute frozen limeade concentrate, thawed, for the lemonade concentrate; also substitute lime zest for the lemon zest.
Gingerbread
Make sure your ground ginger is fresh, no more than 6 months old. Makes 8 servings
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting the pan
1 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup solid vegetable shortening, plus additional for greasing the pan
½ cup sugar
¾ cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup regular or low-fat buttermilk (do not use fat-free) or ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon regular or low-fat plain yogurt
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch baking pan; set aside. Whisk both flours, the ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside as well.
Using an electric mixer, beat the shortening and sugar at medium speed in a large bowl until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses for 2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat in the egg and vanilla. Then beat in the buttermilk or yogurt until smooth.
Scrape off and remove the beaters. Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula, working in even arcs so as not to set the flour’s glutens, just until there are no white patches left in the batter. Scrape and spread the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake until well browned, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes before cutting into squares.
To store: Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Variations: For a spicier bread, add ½ teaspoon ground black pepper with the salt and 2 tablespoons finely minced crystallized ginger with the vanilla.
Add ¾ cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips with the cake flour.
Cheddar Bread
Some sugar is necessary to build a good structure in a savory quick bread—but less than you might expect. This bread is exceptional when spread with Tapenade. Makes 1 loaf
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
6 ounces Cheddar, shredded (about 1½ cups)
¼ cup chopped chives or the finely chopped green parts of 2 scallions
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour a 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf pan.
Whisk the egg in a medium bowl until lightly beaten, then whisk in the milk and melted butter until fairly smooth. Set aside.
Whisk both flours, the sugar, baking powder, dry mustard, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the Cheddar and chives with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the milk mixture all at once; keep stirring just until a dry, sticky, doughlike batter forms. Spread into the prepared pan, taking care to get it evenly to the corners.
Bake until golden, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before unmolding and cutting into slices.
To store: Cool to room temperature, then seal in a large plastic bag and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Variations: Substitute Gruyère,