Purple Ribbon Quick Breads

     Fairs are great celebrations in our state. Both county fairs and state fairs are fun to attend and even take an entry to. As a 'foodie' and retired Extension agent, I get asked to judge a lot of fairs. This year I enjoyed judging 4-H Foods in a nearby county and at the state fair. Its always interesting to see what  4-Hers make and bring.
     Often judges are asked "what makes a blue or purple ribbon entry?" There are definite guidelines for judging each type of food. Quick breads can include loaf breads of fruit or nuts, muffins, cornbread, biscuits, and scones. This year I saw several entries of scones at the State Fair, definitely reflecting food trends. And it must have been a good zucchini year, there were lots of zucchini breads!
     Loaf breads, like banana bread or zucchini bread, are fast and easy to make, so a popular project for 4-Hers and other home cooks. I usually have a few loaves in the freezer for convenient gifts or refreshments. The crack on top is the biggest question. It is typical, and not unsatisfactory. Because the mass of batter heats slowly in the center and the crust forms more quickly, the batter 'erupts' as the bread rises. If you want to prevent this cracked crust, cover the top with a tent of heavy foil and remove it after the batter has risen and begins to brown, being careful not to touch the soft crust. This keeps the top moist and prevents a heavy crack from forming.
    Characteristics of a blue or purple ribbon loaf bread would be an even contour, rounded top, evenly browned top and bottom crust, uniform crumb color and well-distributed nuts and fruit. Often a crusty rim forms around the upper edge of the loaf. This is from over greasing the pan, allowing the oil to 'fry' up the sides as the batter rises. Lightly grease only the bottom on the pan to avoid this. Chopped nuts should be mixed evenly into the batter. Fruit can be tossed with flour to coat the pieces to help them remain well distributed and not sink to the bottom of the bread.
     Tips I always give for quick breads include buying fresh ingredients. I usually buy a new container of baking soda and baking powder either before the county fair baking or before holiday baking. Don't feel guilty about tossing an unused part of a box. Baking soda can always be used to freshen the refridgerator or sink drain. Nuts should also be fresh. This is a time it would be good to taste the ingredient before adding! Knowing when a quick bread is completely baked without becoming over baked is a trick. Many directions tell you to insert a toothpick to test for doneness when it comes out clean. A better method is to check the internal temperature. Quick breads are baked to the correct doneness when the temperature of a food thermometer measures 210 degrees.

There are several things I like about this banana bread recipe. It makes two loaves, one to serve and one to freeze. It is a moist, tasty bread. It uses the browning bananas that seem to appear before we've eaten them in a fresher state.

My very favorite quick bread

Special Banana Nut Bread

¾ cup butter, softened

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups chopped pecans, divided

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Add bananas and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, add to creamed mixture. Fold in 1 cup pecans.

Transfer to two greased 8 inch x 4 inch x 2 inch loaf pans. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 ¼ hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients, drizzle over loaves. For the glaze I mix powder sugar with enough flavored coffee creamer to make a thick glaze.

Lemon Zucchini Bread at the State Fair judging

 Lemon Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup sugar

1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini

¼ cup cooking oil

1 egg

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. lemon peel

Glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

Directions:

1.     n medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2.     In a separate mixing bowl, combine sugar, zucchini, cooling oil, egg, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Stir to combine.

3.     Add dry ingredients to zucchini mixture; stir just until combined.

4.     Spoon batter into greased bread pan.

5.     Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and set.

6.     Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

7.     Once cool, combine ingredients for glaze and drizzle over bread. 

Quick Breads - 101

Cold winter days are good days for baking. One of  my favorite things to bake is some sort of quick bread - muffins, banana bread, scones, coffeecakes, etc. Even pancakes or waffles for supper are a warm and tasty choice. Recently Beth, the County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, and I held a baking class on Quick Breads for 4-Hers. We talked about basics and more, then prepared 3 recipes. With the preps we covered different types of mixing, the functions of ingredients, nutrition, and what the judge might be looking for at the county fair.
The recipes we used were Special Banana Nut Bread (blog of August 4, 2013), Pumpkin Chip muffins (blog of May 20, 2012) and a basic scone recipe from the Home Baking Association (homebaking.org). These scones are easy and tasty, a recipe to enjoy again!
Quick breads are baked immediately after they  mixed since they don't require the extra rising time that yeast breads do. Leavening is accomplished with air, steam, and/or carbon dioxide from baking soda or baking powder.
Both baking soda and baking powder will cause baked products to rise, but they are not the same! The main difference is that baking powder contains an acid and baking soda does not. Baking powder today is usually double acting, meaning that it reacts and rises both with the addition of liquid and again with heat (in baking). Baking soda is often combined with other ingredients that contain an acid such as buttermilk or molasses to react. It reacts with liquid, not heat, and should be placed in the oven immediately after mixing.
You can check the strength of either leavening product easily to ensure the best rising action. Fresh ingredients will give a better product and I usually purchase new leavenings before baking for the fair or Christmas. To test the freshness of what is in your cupboard:
Baking soda: Put 1 tablespoon vinegar (acid) in a small cup. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. There should be a vigorous fizz.
Baking powder: Put 2 tablespoons warm water in a small cup. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. It should bubble and foam, but will not be as vigorous as baking soda.

There are generally 3 methods of mixing quick bread batter. The type of quick bread and the consistency of the batter will determine which method you should use. The biscuit method cuts the fat into the dry ingredients. This is used for biscuits and some scones. The blending method combines the liquids and dry ingredients separately then adds the dry to the liquids. Use this for most muffins and fruit breads. The creaming is similar to cookie dough; solid fat and sugar are creamed together, then eggs are added, followed by wet and dry ingredients alternately. These product are more cake-like.

BASIC SCONES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

2 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

⅓ cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ cup cold butter

1cup to 2 cups chopped dried fruit, chocolate or other flavored chips, nuts, or a combination (optional, but good!)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or the flavoring of your choice

½ cup to ⅔ cup half and half or milk

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s ok for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

Stir in the fruit, chips, and/or nuts, if you’re using them.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla or other flavor, and half and half or milk.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don’t have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of four atop the parchment or pan.

Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half.

Round each half into a 5-inch circle (if you haven’t incorporated any add-ins); or a 6-inch circle (if you’ve added fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about 3/4–inch thick.

Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Using a knife or bench knife that you’ve run under cold water, score each circle into 6 wedges.

For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. When you slice one away from the others, it should look baked all the way through; the edge shouldn’t look wet or unbaked.

A good way to test baked products for doneness is with a food (meat) thermometer. Quick breads should bake to an internal temperature of 210 degrees.

Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm.