10 Quick Bread Recipes: How to Make Homemade Bread

Quick bread is a bread that uses a chemical leavening agent, such as baking powder or baking soda, rather than yeast to rise. While quick breads have longer baking times than yeasted homemade breads, there is no rise time you have to factor into quick breads. There is also no need to knead quick breads, since they are a batter and not a bread dough (in which gluten development is crucial). Other baked goods that leaven with baking powder or baking soda—and therefore qualify as quick breads—include scones, cupcakes, coffee cake, and loaf cakes.

Both quick breads and yeasted breads can be sweet or savory, but there are some important areas of difference between the two types of bread.

1. 1. Flour: Quick bread recipes call for all-purpose flour, while yeasted bread recipes call for bread flour or a combination of bread flour and all-purpose flour. Bread flour has more gluten in it, which is ideal for yeasted bread but not for quick bread. Quick breads have a more tender crumb and cake-like texture. Yeasted breads have a chewy texture, which comes from the gluten in the flour as well as from the kneading process.
2. 2. Mixing process: You can mix both quick breads and yeasted breads in a stand mixer, but you can also use a large bowl and a wooden spoon to mix quick breads. With quick breads, you stop mixing once the wet ingredients mix with the dry ingredients. On the other hand, yeasted bread requires you to continue working the dough even after combining the wet and dry ingredients. Sometimes kneading can take ten minutes or more, depending on the type of bread. Another way to mix and knead yeasted bread is in a bread machine.
3. 3. Rise time: Once baking powder or baking soda goes into a quick bread batter, it reacts immediately; therefore. the bread rise for a quick bread occurs while it’s in the oven. Yeast has a delay in rise time, and yeasted bread goes through two proofing sessions, for about an hour each. Then the bread rises even further in the oven as the yeast releases the last of its carbon dioxide gas.
4. 4. Shape: Yeasted bread can take a variety of shapes when it’s in dough form, which holds its shape much better than batter does. For example, you can make loaves, dinner rolls, swirl breads, braids, sandwich buns, hot dog buns, and more with dough. Quick breads are a batter; therefore, rely on their container to give them shape. Most of the times, these bake in loaf pans, but some types of quick bread bake in a cast-iron pan, such as with cornbread, or in cake tins, such as with cupcakes or muffins.

Quick breads, which use alternative leavening agents in place of yeast, encompass loaf cakes, dessert breads, and other recipes. Here are ten quick breads to try making at home.

1. 1. Cornbread: Combining cornmeal as well as all-purpose flour, cornbread is a versatile quick bread. Make it cheesy with cheddar or Parmesan cheese, or spicy by adding jalapeños. Bake it in a cast-iron pan for golden brown and crispy edges. Try this cornbread recipe and its variations.
2. 2. Cranberry bread: For a taste of the autumn season, make a cranberry bread with a hint of orange zest. It’s a sweet bread with tartness from the cranberries. Add a glaze on top for more sweetness, or soak the sweet bread in orange juice for extra moisture. Learn how to make this cranberry bread recipe.
3. 3. Date nut bread: The flavor of dates and nuts is a classic one. Dates are a sweet and chewy dried fruit, and the nuts, usually walnuts or pecans, are firm and crunchy. A traditional topping for a date nut quick bread is a cream cheese frosting or glaze. Try this date nut bread recipe.
4. 4. Double chocolate zucchini bread: Use fresh zucchini and a high-quality dark chocolate chip or bar for this quick bread. The zucchini adds moisture to the bread, and the chocolate adds richness and a bit of sweetness, depending on the type of chocolate. Follow this double chocolate zucchini bread recipe to make your own.
5. 5. Irish soda bread: Make a loaf of old–fashioned Irish soda bread around St. Patrick’s Day or any time of year. Traditional recipes use buttermilk and whole-meal or whole-wheat flour, but United States versions use all-purpose flour. Brush the top with melted butter for a buttery, rich crust, then serve the bread alongside soups or stews. Try this Irish soda bread recipe.
6. 6. Lemon blueberry bread: During the summer months, lemon and blueberry are a popular combination. Sweet fresh or frozen blueberries offset the tart lemon. Try adding a sweet glaze or crunchy streusel topping. Learn how to make a loaf of glazed lemon blueberry bread.
7. 7. Orange olive oil cake: Using fresh orange juice, orange zest, and high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, this cake uses baking powder as its leavening agent. Slice it up and serve it with brunch, or eat it as dessert with ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Try this orange olive oil cake recipe.
8. 8. Pumpkin bread: With warm spices and pumpkin purée, a pumpkin bread is a sweet and earthy quick bread. Mix in chocolate chips or nuts if you like. After it finishes baking, brush the bread with melted butter and sprinkle it with a cinnamon sugar topping. Learn how to make a classic pumpkin bread.
9. 9. Spiced orange bread: Cardamom adds a warm spice to sweet orange bread, while a glaze with orange blossom water and fresh orange juice can make for a unique glaze. Make mini loaves or bake it in a muffin pan for individual servings. Try this spiced orange bread recipe.
10. 10. Vegan banana bread: A vegan twist on a classic, this banana bread uses vegetable oil and nondairy milk and omits eggs. Add nuts for a banana nut bread, peanut butter for a nutty flavor, or vegan chocolate for a chocolate chip banana bread. This vegan banana bread recipe takes only an hour to make.

We’ve got you covered. All you knead (see what we did there?) is The MasterClass Annual Membership, some water, flour, salt, and yeast, and our exclusive lessons from Apollonia Poilâne—Paris’s premier bread maker and one of the earliest architects of the artisanal bread movement. Roll up your sleeves and get baking.