Quickbreads from the book Gabriel gave me - made with fine cornmeal and poppy seeds.

(Em português)

Quickbreads, this wonder of humanity!

In fact, I would call these tiny guys cakes, because they are made with baking powder, not yeast.

And this is the reason why you can whip up a batch so fast.

They are great as last-minute snacks, for those times when someone comes over and you're not ready for it, to serve as an excuse to turn on the oven on chilly days, this kind of thing...

The recipe comes from a book a friend gave me last year, it's called "Marvellous mini cakes" by Ilona Chavancova.

The whole thing is quite simple: just gently stir the ingredients in a bowl, transfer the batter to greased and floured muffin baking pans, and bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven at 180oC.

My baking pans are specially whimsical, heart-shaped. Each one holds 120ml.

1 cup fine cornmeal

2 eggs

1/4 cup sour milk (for the ones of us who can't easily find it: after measuring the milk, add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar and let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes before incorporating to the batter)

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

Salt and black pepper to taste

(Cup measure: 240ml)

After combining all ingredients with the help of a wooden spatula, I poured equal parts of the batter into 6 small pans (the batter should go up to 3/4 of the pan's capacity).

Now, my observations:

When I prepare the quickbreads this way, I think they're texture comes out kind of dry. But - this can be an advantage to some people - they are gluten free.

Once I substituted 1/3 of the cornmeal measure for all purpose flour, and I thought they were nicer.

With these ingredients, the recipe compliments savory toppings. If you'd like, leave out the pepper and exchange the olive oil for one that's more neutral, like sunflower or canola.

And, since poppy seeds aren't easy to find everywhere, I'd suggest substituting them for toasted black sesame, or flaxseeds. 

To be sure my breads are completely done, I insert a toothpick or match in the center of one of them. If it comes out dry and clean, means they are good.

I let the quickbreads cool down for 5 minutes before taking them out of the pan, after that they are good to serve.

In the case there is any leftover bread, or if I am to package them to take elsewhere, I make sure to allow them to cool completely before storing.

I have not tried it, but I suppose that if I were to store them, the breads would keep a nice texture for about 4 days in an airtight container.

Yields 6 rolls.