FLOUR POWER QUICK BREADS OFFER HOMEY GOODNESS WITHOUT THE WAIT.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

If you don't have much time but want to bake homemade bread, opt for creations in the quick-breads category. With their irresistible aroma wafting through the kitchen during baking, they are the busy cook's answer to turning out baked goods without much hassle.

What makes the breads quick is that most rely on leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda for their rising action.

Most can be assembled fast - in 10 to 15 minutes or less. Just mix them up and pop into the oven. No yeast, kneading, rising or waiting required. And no special equipment is needed.

``The best thing about quick breads, besides eating them, is that they go from conception to completion in about an hour or less, cleanup included,'' writes Beth Hensperger in her book, ``Bread for Breakfast.''

Quick bread choices can range from fruit, nut and other loaves to coffee cakes, scones, biscuits, muffins and little rolls with either sweet or savory overtones. Ingredients can run the gamut from vegetables such as zucchini, carrots or corn to items like dried fruits, granola, chocolate chips, nuts and coconut to cheeses, spices, seeds, herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and much more.

Homemade quick breads not only taste better than their store-bought counterparts but offer a lot more flavor and shape options, points out Beatrice A. Ojakangas, author of 20 cookbooks, including ``Quick Breads: 65 Recipes for Bakers in a Hurry.'' In addition, you can control the amount of sugar and other ingredients, she adds, noting that among her favorites are cardamom almond scones and baking powder biscuits.

For best results when making quick breads, there are a couple of key factors to keep in mind. Avoid overmixing the batter or you'll end up with a tough, dense product with a hump in the middle and full of tunnels instead of a delicate, cakelike crumb, moist interior and tender crust. Also note that some fat is necessary for flavor and tenderness.

It's essential to bake the batter as soon as it is mixed - before the leavening loses its rising power.

Most people overbake quick breads, notes Ojakangas, and end up with a dry product. Make sure your oven is calibrated (use an oven thermometer) and that you're baking at the temperature specified. Check for doneness a few minutes before the minimum time suggested in the recipe.

Eat muffins, scones and coffee cakes warm or at room temperature - and preferably on the day baked. Fruit and nut breads are best cooled completely - and often are best the day after baking. If necessary, quick breads can be frozen. If well wrapped, they can be stored in the freezer for up to two months.

Quick breads are not only rewarding for bakers but make excellent homey, comforting accompaniments for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Some of the sweeter types even make welcome desserts.

CINNAMON BUBBLE LOAF

(On the cover)

4 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 1/2 cups original OR reduced fat buttermilk baking mix (Bisquick)

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons margarine OR butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Powdered Sugar Glaze

Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon.

Stir remaining ingredients (including remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar) except Powdered Sugar Glaze until soft dough forms. Pinch off 1 1/2-inch pieces of dough; roll in cinnamon mixture and place in pan.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack. Drizzle with Powdered Sugar Glaze. Cut into slices. Serve warm. Makes 1 loaf (12 slices).

POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE: Stir 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons water until thin enough to drizzle.

STREUSEL RASPBERRY COFFEE CAKE

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh OR frozen, whole unsweetened raspberries

Streusel Topping

Butter a 9-inch square cake pan. In a large bowl, stir together flour, granulated sugar and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix egg, butter and milk. Stir liquids into dry ingredients just until blended. Spoon 1/2 of mixture into prepared pan. Top with raspberries and then spoon remaining dough over them, spreading evenly. Sprinkle top with Streusel Topping.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden. Makes 1 (9-inch) square cake.

STREUSEL TOPPING: Combine 1/4 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour. Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter until mixture resembles moist crumbs.

From ``Quick Breads,'' by Beatrice A. Ojakangas.

PEANUT 'N' JELLY MUFFIN CAKE

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see Note)

1 cup uncooked quick oats 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1 cup fat-free milk

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) margarine OR butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup grape, strawberry OR raspberry jelly

Topping

Spray a 9-inch round metal cake pan with cooking spray. For cake, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, melted margarine, egg and vanilla; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix.) Pour into pan. Spoon jelly by teaspoonfuls randomly over batter. Crumble Topping evenly over batter.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool 10 minutes in pan or wire rack. Cut into wedges; serve warm. Makes 10 servings.

TOPPING: Combine 1/3 cup uncooked quick OR old-fashioned oats, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar; mix well. Cut in 1/3 cup chunky OR creamy peanut butter and 1 tablespoon margarine OR butter, softened, with 2 knives or fingers until crumbly.

NOTE: If you use 1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats in cake, increase flour to 1 2/3 cups.

HARVEST PUMPKIN APPLE BREAD

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups granulated sugar

1 (15-ounce) can 100 percent pure pumpkin (puree)

4 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup apple juice OR water

1 large baking apple, peeled, cored and diced

Grease and flour 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and apple juice in a large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 65 to 70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 2 loaves.

APRICOT CREAM CHEESE SCONES

4 1/4 cups pastry flour OR all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, chilled

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, chilled

1 cup diced OR slivered dried apricots

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk plus more for brushing

2 teaspoons vanilla

Sparkling white OR pearl sugar, for topping

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in cream cheese and butter using your fingers, a pastry blender, a fork or a mixer, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in dried apricots. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, 1/4 cup milk and vanilla. Combine liquid and dry ingredients and stir until dough becomes cohesive. DON'T OVERMIX; the more you work the dough, the tougher it will get.

Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and fold it over several times, until it holds together. Pat dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Cut out scones with a round cookie cutter, gathering scraps and rerolling dough. Or simply cut dough into square- or diamond-shaped scones. Brush tops lightly with milk and sprinkle with sparkling white.

Place scones about 2 inches apart on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated 425-degree oven 8 minutes. Turn oven off, leave door closed and bake 8 minutes more or until scones are light golden brown. Serve hot, with clotted cream or butter and jam or raspberry curd. Makes about 18 small (2 1/2-inch) scones.

Source: The Baker's Catalogue, King Arthur Flour Co. From ``The Best American Recipes 2002-2003,'' by Fran McCullough with Molly Stevens.

Listen up, quick!

A few tips for quick-bread success.

-- Accurately measure ingredients. ``Baking is a science as well as an art, so it's important to use the right ingredients and to measure them accurately,'' write Donna Washburn and Heather Butt in their book, ``125 Best Quick Bread Recipes.''

Cookbook author Beatrice Ojakangas uses a chopstick she keeps in her flour and sugar bins to level off filled dry measuring cups.

-- Check expiration dates on leavening agents such as baking powder to avoid ending up with a baking failure. A quick test for baking powder: Stir 1/2 teaspoon of it into 1/4 cup warm water. If it bubbles immediately, it's good to use.

-- A variety of different pans in fun shapes - fancy tube pans, metal salad molds, small loaf pans, coffee cans, etc. - can be used for baking quick- bread batters, notes Ojakangas, but you'll need to adjust the baking time accordingly. For best-shaped results, fill the pan two-thirds full.

-- Use shiny pans that reflect heat, which will result in golden, tender crusts on breads, muffins and coffee cakes. If you do use a dark pan that absorbs heat more readily, watch carefully or reduce the oven temperature 25 degrees F.

-- Grease pan if the recipe specifies, even if it has a nonstick finish. Ojakangas always uses cooking spray with good results. Grease only bottoms of loaf pans for fruit and nut breads and muffins. This will allow batter to cling to sides while rising during baking and form a gently rounded top. Greasing sides may result in loaves with ridges on edges.

-- Be sure to preheat the oven at least 10 to 15 minutes. Bake quick breads in the center of the oven for best heat circulation. If baking more than one loaf at a time, stagger pans and don't let them touch each other or the oven walls.

-- To test for doneness, Ojakangas inserts a wooden skewer in the center of breads. If it comes out clean and dry, the bread is done.

-- Don't worry if your quick bread has a large crack down the center of the loaf - that's typical.

-- Cool breads and coffee cakes before slicing to prevent crumbling.

- N.H.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) quick breads rise to the occassion

CINNAMON BUBBLE LOAF

(2 -- color) PEANUT `N' JELLY MUFFIN CAKE

(3 -- color) HARVEST PUMPKIN APPLE BREAD

Box:

Listen up, quick! (see text)