The quickness of quick breads and their next of kin, the muffin, is something busy cooks have always loved. No rising, punching down or loaf shaping required. And when you live in the South where Spring only seems to last five minutes and summer threatens before long, quick breads also mean, “Quick! Make those breads now before it’s too hot to turn on the oven!” There will be plenty of time for grilling, salads and making cool dinners later on. But for now, in the still coolish months of Spring, the aroma of freshly baked banana bread coming out of the oven is pure heaven.
To make perfect quick breads, you needn’t worry about culinary prowess in the kitchen. A few quick tricks and your quick breads will rival Martha’s any day of the week. When you start mumbling, "It’s a good thing," too much, you might want to turn on Emeril a few times a week to chill out a bit. Then again, you might freak the dog out yelling "Bam!" in the kitchen.
Here's a fabulous muffin recipe to get you started.
Apricot Pineapple Oat Muffins
A muffin and colon cleanser at the same time! What more could a gal want in a muffin?
1-1/2 cups oat bran
1 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 /2 cup safflower oil or butter
1/ 4 cup fruit sweetened apricot conserves
1/ 4 cup crushed pineapple
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin pans with paper liners or grease muffin pans.
In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients and make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients well and add to dry ingredients. Mix till combined, but don’t overdo it.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup 3/ 4 full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in muffin tin, then remove individual muffins to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 12 muffins
