Quick Breads and Flat Cakes

This chapter includes all sorts of wonderful things to do with flour—popovers, muffins, crepes, pancakes, waffles, and French toast. These are recipes for foods that, for the most part, contain no yeast and hence aren’t really breads in the traditional sense. There are quick breads, essentially muffins, biscuits, and breakfast “breads, ”which are leavened with baking powder and eggs. I also include popovers, whose only leavening triggers when egg is suddenly exposed to a lot of heat. All of the flat cakes are similar. The difference between crepes and pancakes is that crepes are thin and unleavened, while pancakes are thicker and leavened. Waffles are made from a pancakelike batter that includes melted butter and beaten egg whites to make them light and crispy, and blini are pancakes made by adding yeast to crepe batter. These are simple foods, achievable for even beginning bakers who are looking for reliable master recipes.