Quick, fast, and served hot—for all those modern terms, quick breads are descendants of crude hearth cakes of primitive times. The Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote about “bannocks o’ barley,” a non-yeasted barley cake cooked over a fire. England’s King Alfred is credited with having invented “quick cakes” by accident. He forgot to watch the pot of porridge as he sat in his hut, and discovered that it cooked into a bread. The American Indians taught the early colonists to bake cornmeal over a fire into hot cakes. It was a matter of history and inventiveness of cooks, as...

A glaze made with fresh tangerine juice gives this bread moistness and flavor. The texture is cakelike and the flavor so wonderful that you may never find out that it keeps well, too!

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and lightly flour one 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan or two 5¾ x 3½-inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and ¾ cup of sugar together until blended. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy and light. Add the tangerine rind. In another bowl, stir the 1¼ cups of flour and the baking powder and salt...

Dense, dark, and moist describes this fruity bread. Though it’s delicious fresh from the oven, it improves with age. This is a great bread to make and wrap as gifts because it makes so many little loaves.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease and flour two 9½ x 5½ -inch loaf pans or six 5¾ x 3½ -inch loaf pans.

In a saucepan, combine the apricots, mincemeat, and water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to low,

cover, and cook until the apricots are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and...

You can steam this brown bread in a number of different containers. A steamedpudding mold works well, as do coffee cans or tomatosauce cans. Sometimes I steam it in the small 6- or 8-ounce jelly glasses that have plastic snap-top lids; they are slightly narrower on the bottom than on the top and don’t have a lip to catch the bread as you unmold it. Pint-size canning jars work well, too, if they are completely smooth and straight on the inside so you can unmold the bread well.

Have ready a large kettle with a cover. Place a rack in...

These quick rolls are filled with a buttery mixture of raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon. If you place the rolls close together in a pan, it turns out to be a coffee bread. Baked separately on a baking sheet, they are individual rolls.

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan, square pan, or 10-inch tube pan, or cover a baking sheet with

parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the cold butter into the mixture with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small...

Not just for breakfast—this makes a delightful old-fashioned dessert when topped with softly whipped cream.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-inch square cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the oil, sugar, and egg until light. Add the molasses and beat until thick. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 2 tablespoons of the flour until well coated. Mix the remaining flour with the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to the creamed mixture, and blend until smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Turn into the prepared pan. Bake for 45...

Kugelhof is a classic holiday bread with Germanic-Alsatian roots. Baked in a special fluted tube pan, traditional kugelhof is yeast-raised; this is a quick—but still delicious—version.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fancy tube pan.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat until light. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this mixture and the milk to the creamed mixture to make a smooth batter. Add the raisins, lemon rind, and vanilla. Turn into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to...

This spread is great on savory loaves of Soda Bread (page 64), Caraway Beer Bread (page 65), or Australian Damper (page 68). Try it instead of mayonnaise on ham sandwiches.

In a deep mixer bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy; beat in the cheese until the mixture is well blended. Stir in the parsley and tarragon. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. Allow the chilled spread to come to room temperature before serving.

You can make this cheese ahead and freeze it. Bring it to room temperature for easier spreading over any sliced savory bread....