Quick Breads

An Irish style treat in all ways - A cast iron pan makes the perfect baking pan for this rustic bread.

A muffin in a loaf? A soda bread with attitude? Just darned good!

When I first began baking with zeal, I used to bring baking, as most of us do, to the office. A real office. A real job actually! I worked for a university and was thrice, by acclamation, voted president of the coffee club. Zucchini bread was considered novel (once) and when I brought this gorgeous, moist, lovely loaf in, no one would touch it! Finally, the guy that ate everything, gave it a try. As he dove in for this third slice, the rest of the office caught on and the cake was history, way before the second coffee break of the day. They say this cake was invented to get rid of excess zucchini. I think it is the other way around. This recipe is packed with flavor and also makes very fine zucchini muffins. You can switch cranberries or dried cherries for the raisins and/or frost it with a carrot cake cream cheese frosting if you like.

These are tender and delicate and bursting with blueberries in every bite. These are really miniature coffee cakes actually. You can make these oversized, or spoon them out as muffin tops but they present, and bake up especially nicely in this version of a mini loaves or ‘baby cake’. Wilton also sells mini-Bundt pans that would work (but result in fewer cakes overall).

I love scones on day one. I still love them days 2 and 3 but I rather wish they would not dry out quite so much. This method of brushing them once, as soon as they come out of the oven, and then twice, about 15 minutes later, with a syrup of butter and honey solves the problem in a very sweet way. The scones stay wonderful and flavorful for a good 4 days and the sweetened crust is irresistible. Double berries make these special as well as using soured whipping cream. You know how you add lemon juice to milk to sour it? So that you get the benefits of a buttermilk vis a vis an exceptionally high rising scone? Ok…now you know how whipping cream makes scones extra tender? Now, imagine both attributes: high-rise and extra tender, flaky scones. That is what souring some whipping cream does. Almost any fruit would do in these, but this mix of blue/black fruit, not to mention the taste, is exceptional.

Rustic, good, wholesome. Wonderful fresh with a pot of Irish stew or simply divine toasted with sweetened, cinnamon cream cheese. Most authentic Irish soda breads are made with whole wheat flour, but combinations of both white and whole wheat flour is a nice road to travel. You can also try some white spelt or white whole-wheat flour. You could serve this bread with corned beef and cabbage, a good Irish stew, or in hefty wedges with a sharp Irish or Guinness cheddar and pickled onions for a updated Ploughman's Platter.

This is really more of a brown sugar tea cake you will devour, than a bread but butterscotch bread sounds more interesting. It is a light, moist, deeply caramel tasting cake, with a thin sludge of brown butter fudge topping. A one layer pan cake that is a nice change from chocolate.

This butterscotch-y chocolate chip cake is quick and homey – and pleases kids and adults alike. Like a Tollhouse Cookie, but in a slice. A great coffee, tea, and cold milk cake – a lunch box dessert. Most people use semi-sweet chocolate (coarsely chopped or chips) but I actually use (and prefer) milk chocolate chips for this recipe.