Sweet quick bread loaf sliced up
Yield: About 10 Servings

Basic Quick Bread Recipe (Batter Bread)

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

This basic quick bread recipe is adaptable to be savory or sweet. The recipe is delicious as is, or use it as a base recipe and add any spices, herbs, dried fruit, nuts, or any add-ins you like! There are endless combinations!

Ingredients

  • NOTE: For more details about this recipe, scroll past the recipe card.

For Savory Quick Bread

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or self-rising flour (*see note for making gluten free)
  • 1 TBSP baking powder (leave out if using self-rising flour, see note for making without baking powder)
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt (leave out if using self-rising flour)
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk, room temperature (*see note for substitution)
  • 6 TBSP canola oil (or any other oil or liquid fat) spices or mix-ins as desired (*optional)

For Sweet Quick Bread

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or self-rising flour (*see note for making gluten free)
  • 1 TBSP baking powder (leave out if using self-rising flour, *see note for making without baking powder)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt (leave out if using self-rising flour)
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature (*see note for making egg free/vegan)
  • 1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk, room temperature (*see note for substitution)
  • 6 TBSP canola oil (or any other oil or liquid fat)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated or brown sugar (or combination of both)
  • 1/2 TBSP vanilla (*optional, but is a good base flavor for most all sweet quick bread variations)
  • spices or mix-ins as desired (*optional)

Instructions

Note: A quick bread is a culinary term for a bread like product that uses baking soda or baking powder, instead of yeast, to leaven it. The texture of a quick bread is very different from a yeast bread. A quick bread has more of a muffin like texture and flavor. If you want something that is closer to a traditional bread but without yeast, I highly suggest trying my Irish Soda Bread Recipe.

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and prepare a 9"x 5" (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan with pan spray or lined with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and any other spices and herbs you might be using.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, sugar (if making sweet quick bread), and any other extracts or liquids you may be using.
  4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and using a spoon or a rubber spatula, stir the two together until combined. This will be a batter, not a dough. For the sweet quick bread, only stir until the flour is absorbed and then stop. The more you stir the more more tough the bread can become. For the savory quick bread, it could benefit you to give it a good stir for about a minute to purposefully develop some of the gluten strands so that it has more of a bread-like texture to it once baked.
  5. If using any other add-ins such as cheese, berries, nuts, etc... fold them in now.
  6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 40-45 minutes for the savory quick bread and 50-55 minutes for the sweet quick bread, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumb.

Notes

NOTE: Quick breads (aka batter breads) a different in texture than yeast breads. This is the name for bread like products made with chemical leavening and are more like a muffin in texture. Think similar to a banana bread or zucchini bread.

SAVORY VARIATIONS

  • Cheddar Bacon Chive Quick Bread: Cook 6 strips bacon until crispy & crumble. Fold in the bacon, 3 TBSP finely chopped chives, and 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese right before putting into the pan to bake.
  • Sundried Tomato Basil Quick Bread: Add 1 TBSP dried basil into the dry ingredients. Fold in 1 cup roughly chopped sundried tomatoes right before putting into the pan to bake.
  • Olive Loaf Quick Bread: Use olive oil as the oil in the recipe. Add 1/2 TBSP dried oregano into the dry ingredients. Fold in 1 1/2 cups chopped, pitted, greek olives (such as kalamata) right before putting into the pan to bake.

SWEET VARIATIONS

  • Double Chocolate Quick Bread: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder (natural or dutch processed) into the dry ingredients. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips into the batter right before putting into the pan to bake.
  • Cranberry Orange Quick Bread: Add 3/4 tsp orange zest & 2 TBSP orange juice into the wet ingredients. Fold in 1 cup of rough chopped fresh cranberries right before putting into the pan to bake.
  • Walnut Spice Quick Bread: Add 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp clove, 1/8 tsp allspice into the dry ingredients. Fold in 1 cup toasted & rough chopped walnuts (or pecans would also be good) into the batter right before putting into the pan to bake.

SUBSTITUTIONS

  • To make gluten free quick bread: Use a good gluten free flour blend made for baking. I have tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill's Gluten Free Baking Flour as well as Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free Flour with success. Note that the bread can tend to shrink when taken out of the oven due to the lack of gluten structure. I have found that if you want to maintain the height of the bread in the gluten free version that it would serve you well to separate the eggs, whip the whites to medium peaks, and gently fold them in as the very last step before putting the batter in the pan. This will help hold the structure of the bread.
  • To make vegan quick bread: Any non-dairy milk can be used in this recipe in place of the milk and the buttermilk. Replace the eggs with equivalent vegan egg replacer. I have found that EnerG Egg Replacer yielded the best results, but flax or chia egg will also work.
  • To make quick bread without baking powder: Separate the eggs and keep the whites aside. Mix the yolks into the wet ingredients and whip the egg whites medium peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter right before putting the batter into the loaf pan, being careful not to deflate them. Please note that this substitution will create a bread that is not quite as fluffy as bread make with yeast or baking powder. It should be used only if absolutely necessary.

Nutrition Information:


Amount Per Serving: Calories: 160