Rural Missouri - October 2013 - (Page 26)

H E A R T H & H O M E LET US BAKE BREAD Quick and easy breads, biscuits and rolls F by Heather Berry hberry@ruralmissouri.coop page design by Megan Backes all is upon us, and it’s the time of year many bakers dust off their bread pans and get out their favorite biscuit, roll and quick-bread recipes to help remove the chill these autumn days bring. Here are some tips when making quick breads: • Stir only until dry ingredients are moistened; the batter will be lumpy, but that’s OK. If you mix too much, the loaf could be tough. • If your loaf sinks in the middle and seems soggy, there was too much liquid in proportion to the dry ingredients, insufﬁcient baking powder or it’s simply underdone. A coarse texture means too much fat, and too much sugar gives you a thick, dark brown crust. • Most quick breads are best served warm from the oven. But nut breads tend to improve with age. Storing them at least overnight before serving improves the ﬂavor of the loaf. • Quick breads usually keep best in the refrigerator and will keep well for around a week when stored that way. If your quick bread comes out with a crack on top, don’t worry — most of them do, it’s the nature of the beast. Just grab the butter and enjoy. Persimmon Bread 1 cup persimmon purée 2 tablespoons water 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 eggs 2 cups ﬂour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9-inchby-5-inch loaf pan; set aside. To prepare persimmon purée: Remove the stem of each cleaned persimmon and cut into chunks. Purée the persimmons in a blender with the 2 tablespoons water. Measure out needed purée; set aside. Next, cream the butter and sugar until light and ﬂuffy. Add vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the persimmon purée and beat until thoroughly combined. In a medium bowl, sift together the ﬂour, salt and baking soda. Add ﬂour mixture to batter and beat until smooth. Spoon batter into a loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool bread 10 minutes before slicing. Beer Biscuits 2-1/4 cups ﬂour 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 5 tablespoons butter, melted 6 ounces beer, room temperature Extra ﬂour (for rolling out dough) Milk (for brushing biscuit tops) Paprika Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Combine ﬂour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to blend thoroughly. Add the melted butter and beer and stir until the mixture holds together. Turn dough out onto a lightly ﬂoured surface and knead three or four times, just enough to make a pliable dough. Cut biscuits out with a round cutter and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush biscuits lightly with milk and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bottoms are browned. Note: Using smoked paprika adds a delicious new taste to these biscuits. Pumpkin Harvest Bread 3-1/3 cups ﬂour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cloves 2/3 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes 1 16-ounce can puréed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie ﬁlling; they’re not the same thing) 4 eggs, slightly beaten 2-1/2 cups sugar 2/3 cup milk 3/4 cup golden raisins, optional 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped Cream cheese icing, optional Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and ﬂour two 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pans; set aside. Combine ﬂour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a bowl and whisk to blend thoroughly. In another large bowl, combine butter, pumpkin, eggs, sugar, milk, golden raisins and nuts. Add 26 WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a spoon or with an electric mixer on low setting until just blended. The batter should show no lumps of ﬂour, but there will be small amounts of butter that will disappear in baking. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans, smoothing the tops. If desired, arrange pecan halves on the top. (The loaves will rise into a beautiful dome with a split down the center.) Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the tops start to get too brown before done, lightly tent the loaf with foil. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Note: This pumpkin bread is also delicious when served with a bit of cream cheese icing. The ﬂavor and texture of this bread only improves with time, so make the loaves at least a day ahead of serving. These loaves also freeze well. When cool, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil before freezing. http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - October 2013

Rural Missouri - October 2013
Contents
Comments
Columns
Schooled on sailing
A deer dilemma
Outdoors
Therapy for the heart & soul
Out of the Way Eats
Gone RVing
Charge of the Iron Brigade
Hearth and Home
Underwater fun
Around Missouri
Marketplace
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - October 2013