The Clueless Baker. Evelyn Raab

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      Quick Breads

      Beer Bread

      You couldn’t bring yourself to throw it out, could you? That open bottle of beer that’s been at the back of the fridge for two weeks. Now you don’t have to. This delicious bread is best served warm.

      3 cups (750 ml) all-purpose flour

      3 tbsp. (45 ml) granulated sugar

      1 tbsp. (15 ml) baking powder

      1 tsp. (5 ml) salt

      ½ tsp. (2 ml) baking soda

      1 bottle (12 oz./341 ml) beer, flat is fine (fizzy is fine too)

      Optional ingredients: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, chopped sundried tomatoes, chopped olives, crumbled herbs

      Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan.

      In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the beer and any optional ingredients you like, and stir until thoroughly mixed into a gluey batter. Dump batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown on top and no longer gooey in the center (do the toothpick test — page 23).

      Remove loaf from pan and serve warm, or let cool on a rack and serve later. Whatever.

      Makes 1 unbelievably easy loaf of bread.

      Whole Wheat Positive

      You can substitute whole wheat flour for all or part of the all-purpose flour in this recipe. Start with a small proportion, and if you like the result, you can use more whole wheat flour next time.

      Great Pumpkin Bread

      Make this loaf with canned pumpkin (the kind you use for pies) or with your own homemade pumpkin puree. You can even use leftover mashed butternut or other baked winter squash if you happen to have some hanging around the fridge.

      1½ cups (375 ml) granulated sugar

      ½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil

      2 eggs

      1 cup (250 ml) pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

      1½ cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour

      ½ tsp. (2 ml) cinnamon

      ½ tsp. (2 ml) nutmeg

      ½ tsp. (2 ml) baking soda

      ½ tsp. (2 ml) baking powder

      ½ cup (125 ml) chopped walnuts or shelled pumpkin seeds (optional)

      Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan.

      Combine the sugar, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and beat for another minute or two.

      In another bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder. Add this to the pumpkin mixture, in 2 or 3 additions, beating after each addition. Stir in the walnuts or pumpkin seeds if you’re using them.

      Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the baking pan for about 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

      Makes 1 heartwarming 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf.

      Whole Wheat Positive

      You can substitute whole wheat flour for all or part of the all-purpose flour in this recipe. Start with a small proportion, and if you like the result, you can use more whole wheat flour next time.

      The Famous Toothpick Test

      Relax, you don’t have to study for this. The toothpick test is a simple way of finding out whether the cake you’re baking is ready to come out of the oven. Here’s what you do.

      Open the oven door, and without removing the pan from the rack, take a clean toothpick and stick it into the cake, bread or muffin, as close to the middle as possible. If what you’re baking is done, the toothpick will be come out clean, with no batter clinging to it. If the toothpick is coated with batter, the cake (or whatever it is) needs to bake a bit longer. Slide the pan back into the oven and give it another five minutes, then test again. Repeat until your whatchamacallit passes the test.

      Ridiculously Easy Cheese Bread

      A bowl of homemade soup, a green salad. A loaf of this bread. There. Dinner.

      2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour

      4 tsp. (20 ml) baking powder

      1 tbsp. (15 ml) granulated sugar