One Recipe, Endless Flavors: Sweet Quick Bread Base + Add-In Ideas
Last week we talked about muffins and how you could make sweet or savory muffins. This week we are moving on to quick breads. Most quick breads are very similar to muffins but you will notice a few differences.
Most quick breads use a combination of baking powder and baking soda, whereas muffins really mostly use baking powder. This is because you typically bake quick bread in loaf pans for longer than you would muffins.
But the basic recipe is very similar! We start with a Dry Team and Wet Team of ingredients!
Once we have a Dry and our Wet ingredients combined into separate bowls, we then mix them together! Don’t worry if it is a little lumpy, that is totally fine!
Then we fold in our “fun stuff” and pour into greased or paper loaf pans. Depending on the size of the loaf pans and what they are made of (aluminum, glass, or metal) can mean the bake time can vary. On average, it takes about 50-60 minutes to bake.
I like to use the toothpick test to see that the loaves are done. We don’t want them golden brown on the outside and undercooked on the inside, right?
I always let my quick bread loaves sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes before trying to remove them from the pan. I find that if I try to remove them right away, they tend to break and don’t retain their moisture. Nobody wants dry quick breads!
Quick Bread Flavor Ideas
Just like with muffins, we ideally want about 1 to 1.5 cups of “fun stuff” or flavors added to our recipe. Sometimes I get a little carried away with the fun stuff and a little bit more, but just know the more you add the more batter you will have. This is just like with muffins!
Also, like muffins, sweet quick breads are a great way to use up leftovers. You don’t have to make just banana bread, you can add so many wonderful and flavorful options!
This is also one of my favorite ways to use up fruits that are either not so perfect looking anymore or are not going to get eaten before they start to rot. This is also a great way to use up little bits and pieces of frozen fruit or even fruit juices! I can’t stand to throw anything away, so I tend to freeze a lot of little pieces for later.
I also have a pretty big amount of baking supplies, but I tend to have a lot of little bags of random items like dried dates, raisins, chocolate chips, etc. These little pieces leftover from other recipes can sit in the cabinet for months, so this is a great way to use up those odds and ends!
I am not super picky about measuring each item out for the “fun stuff” but I do aim for the total of all the fun stuff to be about 1 cup. This is also a great time to try out new flavor combos!
Mix and match your favorite flavors to create a new combo! Take inspiration from a drink, a dessert, or really anything. Think of what flavors combine to make that yummy taste, then include those in your next quick bread!
What flavor combinations do you love to use in making quick breads?
