Quick Bread Dough Recipe - Something Swanky Baking Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to make bread dough quickly? ›

Use rapid rise yeast

It really speeds up the process! Unlike active dry yeast, rapid-rise yeast doesn't need to be proofed (activated) before you add it to your bread dough. Just mix instant yeast in with your dry ingredients and add the warm water afterward.

Quick breads are typically mixed by hand, and it's important not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can cause the gluten in the flour to develop, resulting in a tough and chewy bread. Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined, and then stop. If there are a few lumps in the batter, that's okay.

The possibilities are endless, but the common factor is the basic ingredients of fat, sugar, eggs, flour, liquid, leavening agent, and a flavoring ingredient.

Yeast. I use instant yeast for my recipes as it is super easy and doesn't require activating, and the liquids don't necessarily have to be warm (it will just take longer to rise). Milk powder. Instant milk powder makes bread dough super soft and fluffy and also helps to give it a good rise.

Tip #1: Don't add too much extra flour. The amount of flour you need to bring the dough together into a smooth, elastic, and cohesive ball will depend on your kitchen environment. If the dough is tacky, or even a little sticky, don't worry. It will absorb moisture as it rests and rises.

Muffin Method: Combine the sugar, liquids, eggs and melted fat all at once, then add the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. Creaming Method: This method opts for softened fat rather than melted.

Don't Overmix

When stirring up quick bread recipes, it's important not to overmix the batter once you've added flour. Instead, mix until the liquid and dry ingredients are just combined. And, yes, it's OK to have a few small lumps leftover.

Muffin and Quick Bread Ratio of Ingredients

Sugar, in addition to its interaction with fats, adds flavor, color, and aids in the tenderization of the batter. Eggs provide structure and act as an emulsifier by surrounding fat particles and helping trap air contributing lightness and volume.

Combining baking soda with an acid produces a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide gas which causes the food to expand and become fluffy.

Point out to students that quick breads are made with leavening agents that allow immediate baking. Yeast breads, on the other hand, are leavened with yeast and must be kneaded and allowed to rise before baking.

What happens when you overmix quick bread dough? ›

Using a wooden spoon, mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened, 15 to 20 light strokes. There should be some small lumps. Overmixing can cause quick breads to be tough, bake unevenly or cause elongated holes (or tunnels).

All it takes is a small amount of dough enhancer per loaf to create a much lighter and fluffier result. Using a dough enhancer like Vital Wheat Gluten works to improve the texture and elasticity of the dough and elongate the strands of gluten. Doing so allows more room for the gas in the dough to develop and rise.

There's something magical about the bread you get at your local bakeries - they're always sooo soft and fluffy. Many of these breads, especially packaged ones, are made with a ton of chemical additives such as calcium propionate, amylase, and chlorine dioxide which help keep them soft, light, and fluffy for days.

The added sweetness and protein helps bread dough rise—particularly enriched dough like brioche. It lends a more tender crumb, and actually helps these breads last longer. High-heat milk powder might be a little trickier to find, but it's certainly worth the search for its impact on baking breads.

To make dough rise faster, start by preheating your oven at the lowest temperature setting for 2 minutes. As the oven is preheating, bring a pot of water to a boil and then pour it into an oven-safe dish. Then, turn off the oven and place the dish filled with water inside of it while you prepare the dough.

The short answer is that it depends. Factors like the temperature of your kitchen and the freshness of your yeast, along with humidity and water temperature, can all affect the proofing time of your bread dough. In a toasty kitchen, your dough may proof in as little as an hour (or less!).

Microwave Dough

By using a microwave, you can lop off 1 1/2 hours of rising time for a food product that requires two (1-hour) rises and 2 1/4 hours for three rises. With these tips, you can have your cake and eat it, too!

The moist, warm environment makes dough rise faster than simply letting it sit on the counter. The humidity inside the oven will keep the dough from drying out while rising. You don't need to cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel.