Boom!

Hello, I'm Julia Child.

Welcome to my house.

What fun we're going to have baking all kinds of incredible cakes, pies and breads right here in my own kitchen.

Marion Cunningham, cooking teacher and author of the new Fanny Farmer Cookbook shows us how easy it is to bake these quick breads.

They make wonderful breakfast treats.

Join us on... [Captioning sponsored by VIEWERS LIKE YOU] If your popovers won't pop and if your muffins crumble and if your scones are like lead you need a lesson from Marion Cunningham.

And here she is.

What are you going to start with?

I'm going to start with crumb muffins, Julia.

This recipe has been around about a hundred years.

And I'm going to use all-purpose flour.

I happen to level it off, right at the... You just level it off with your fingers.

Yeah, one can use a knife, but...

It's 2½ cups.

Is that unbleached flour?

It's unbleached flour.

And next I'm going to use two cups of brown sugar.

Is this what they say "well packed"?

Well packed.

You know, sometimes you pick up your brown sugar and it's all as hard as a lump.

Then what do you do?

Well, you put a big chunk of apple in the bag and it'll start to become soft and more pliable.

And if the lumps are many and rather hard you're going to have to sift it through but we're... this is just fine.

The whole thing about baking, home baking, is-- and probably any baking-- is to mix well.

Get things mixed to the... Use your hands.

Yeah, use your hands.

I think using your hands is the answer.

Half a teaspoon of salt goes into this-- level again.

I'm going to put two-thirds cup of shortening and I think I've got a third of a cup right here.

We need two of them.

And again, you've got to push everything down so you don't have big holes.

There's great tolerance in home baking, which is wonderful.

It's forgiving.

But you can't be off too far.

You have to be in a ball park.

Pay attention to what you're doing, I think.

"Pay attention" is right.

That's two-thirds cup.

Two-thirds cup.

Now, break it into pieces rather than try to take big chunks and get it all broken into crumbs.

We're after crumbs or little lumps.

You want lumps because it melts and that makes it tender.

Mm-hmm.

And at this point... Is this an ancient recipe?

Well, it's been through Betty Crocker and all the early American cookbooks after baking powder came out.

It's simple, but it's really quite wonderful.

All right, next little step we're going to take a half a cup of this out put it aside... What's that going to be for?

That's going to be for crumbs on top.

It gives a really good texture.

Now, that's a good idea.

Next I'm going to do two teaspoons of baking powder-- double-acting baking powder.

So you have not only baking powder but baking soda.

Why?

This is baking soda.

It's a half a teaspoon.

Because there's buttermilk also and buttermilk and baking soda will create a lot of bubbles and give greater rise.

I see, yes.

Now I think we're just about ready to add half a teaspoon each of cinnamon, ground...

Ground cinnamon.

And a half a teaspoon of nutmeg.

Mm-hmm.

And again, get that in.

You see, once we get this dough wet it's harder to get everything in it.

Let me see.

There are no big lumps or anything like that.

No big lumps.

You want the little lumps that melt and make it tender but we have to coat all the flour with fat.

I think at this point we can go ahead and get the buttermilk-- one cup.

Next I'm going to take two eggs... Are these large?

These are large.

All recipes are intended to have...

They should be, I think.

Yeah, all recipes mean large eggs.

U.S. grade A large.

I'll take those for you.

And keep in mind the reason I'm doing this is if I dump them in right over this it can get mixed, but not as well as you really want.

Okay, now, let me get a big spoon.

Not with your hands this time.

Well, this is going to be gooey.

I don't mind having gooey hands but I think that it's going to...

Yes, you'd have to stop and wash them off.

You know, this smells good.

Somehow, there's something so wholesome about American baked things, to my mind.

Maybe because they're so elementary.

Now, that's good enough.

You can see little, tiny lumps there and that's largely the fat.

You see?

Yeah, but that's nicely mixed.

What I need now, Julia, it's right behind you-- the muffin pans.

The muffin pan.

I'm going...

I wonder, what size are these cups?

They're three-quarters of a cup.

It's kind of standard, and I'm going to... You use a spray!

I... well, for muffins and popovers it's so fast.

Just... you can see...

I mean, it would take us three times as long to use butter or oil.

I'm going to fill these.

I'll start here and I can turn my pan.

I'm dripping a little bit here.

That's all right.

There's the next.

The one thing about muffins... that's another thing we were talking about-- them being crumbly all over.

They should be wet, like this.

This is a wet batter.

I think they're short on the shortening and sometimes on the eggs.

The thing is, so many of these, uh, baked things that are shy of fat really don't taste good.

No, so you have to put more butter on them so you'd be better off having the recipe right in the first place.

( laughing ) That really is true.

The last one, Julia.

There.

Mmm, that looks wonderful.

Just right.

Just right.

Now for the crumbs.

Just sprinkled on top.

That's a very nice idea.

Sort of a streusel, do they call it?

That's right.

A streusel?

Yes, streusel-- exactly.

Really gives it a kind of different finish here.

Yeah.

Now, we want to put this in the oven and we're going to bake it at 350 and for about 25 minutes.

It may take five minutes more or five minutes less but we'll test them.

So I'm going to put them on the bottom third.

There, and we'll set a timer.

Well, they should be done.

Well, let's test.

All right, we'll test.

I'm going to use... to clear to the bottom, Julia.

And it's perfectly clean, so they're done.

That means it's done.

Absolutely.

Otherwise it would have wet dough on it.

Okay.

All right.

Let me take them out and I'm going to put them on the rack over here.

I'm going to let them cool five minutes because they'll shrink a little and it makes them easier to remove.

Okay.

Well, Julia, I think these are ready to be turned out.

Cooled enough.

Cool enough.

There they go.

Oh, those look good.

I'm always hungry when I do these muffins.

And that one we're going to eat.

Now?

( firmly ): Now.

I'm dying to taste this.

( chuckles ) There.

Now, this doesn't crumble.

No, it's moist.

It's lovely and moist.

They don't even need butter.

They're just delicious!

How do you like that crumb topping?

I love it.

Marion, that's a great muffin.

You've convinced me to be a muffin eater.

Thank you very much.

( chuckles ) Thank you.

I'm always reading about scones in British novels.

I understand it's a kind of a baking powder biscuit, Marion.

Well, that's a good comparison.

It is.

Is it Scottish?

It's Scottish and English and, um, they're largely shaped differently.

Good.

Well, where do we begin?

We have three cups of all-purpose flour here.

Yep.

And I'm next going to put in one-third cup of sugar, so they're mildly sweet.

Mm-hmm.

And 2½ teaspoons of our baking powder.

Level it off.

And I think it takes about three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt.

Just a little bit.

And the baking soda is just a half a teaspoon, so... Now, with baking powder you've got to always be sure that it's very fresh, don't you?

You really should replace it every four months.

Now we're adding butter.

Julia, I'm cutting this into small pieces.

We'll separate all the pieces and your butter needs to be cold.

It smells nice-- that little butter, isn't it?

It smells wholesome.

Yes.

Now that's... See?

There are still little lumps in here.

There are little lumps, but that's... That's the way we want it so that it, uh... it gives it flakiness.

Oh.

You see?

It melts and puffs up.

Mm-hmm.

I think now it's time for the cup of buttermilk.

It's nice using buttermilk for something.

I like it.

It's kind of an elemental...

I know, we kind of forget what a good drink it is in the summertime.

Is this like biscuits that you have to handle it very gently?

Well, it is kneaded a little bit just to bring the dough together.

See, it's such a rough mass here that it would be hard to get it shaped.

Yeah.

I think that's about it-- there.

Be liberal with flour.

Oh, I forgot to add the lemon.

Let me grate it.

Right now...

Probably doesn't make too much difference, does it?

It doesn't, as long as it gets distributed.

That's the key.

And I'm just going to grate it on this scraper.

We should use one whole lemon.

Yeah.

Okay.

Smells good.

Now, this is going to be kneaded for a few turns so it'll get well distributed.

Just toss it, just tossing it around.

Yes, that'll be fine, I think.

There... okay.

Out on the board, you see how it looks?

It's all in pieces.

Mm-hmm.

If it were too dry, could you add a little more buttermilk or anything?

You could, you could.

Until you get something in the oven you have a lot of opportunity to make corrections, really.

Thank heaven.

Thank heaven.

( chuckles ) Now, all we're doing here is just getting the dough so I can roll it and pat it and it stays together.

And I think we're about there.

Julia, I'm going to cut this in half and I'm going to do half in the traditional shape of a scone and the other half, I'm going to do unusual kind of a roll-up because they're fun and interesting.

It's always nice to have other things you can do with a dough, isn't it?

Yes.

This'll make... instead of the usual 12 from this I can do six.

It helps a little to go around the edges so you don't have it flattened.

Mm-hmm.

Now, this should have a little melted butter-- which I have right over there-- on top and then I'll sprinkle a little sugar on that.

Again, like, it gives a nice finish.

And just a tiny bit of sugar.

I've got this brush here.

Let me just get this kind of all over the top.

There.

Well, that's all there is to that.

That's all there is.

It couldn't be more simple, could it?

I thought you were going to have to roll it out... That is the wonderful thing about home baking.

Now we need to put it on a pan.

Does that need to be sprayed or anything?

Not really, because there's a lot of butter in this.

When you have a lot of butter, it'll take care of it.

That's amazing.

That really is a quick bread.

It certainly is.

The marvel about serving things you bake at home is that you can usually eat them... no matter what.

Eat them anyway.

Yeah, eat them anyway.

I'm going to put more of these crumbs.

I'm going to roll...

This is just, as I said, a little different technique.

And make a strip.

And then what I'm going to do is sprinkle this with the butter once more.

We'll do the same technique.

Here's some sugar.

I can use this again, moves it easily.

Okay.

Now, it's always rolled from the long side.

That's about half an inch thick, isn't it?

Yes, it is, but we'll pull it out a little bit.

It can be stretched a little bit.

Have a sugar roll.

Yeah, exactly.

And sometimes this needs a little pinching along the bottom, the seam which is exactly what you do with loaves of bread.

I'm going to cut off the ends because they look poor.

I'm going to get them down about the same height so they'll bake in about the same time.

I suppose you could fill these with things, could you?

You could put all kinds of things in them.

Yes, you could use finely chopped nuts.

You can use raisins, currants.

Well, Julia...

It couldn't be easier.

That's it, they just go in the oven.

That's it.

It goes in a 425 oven for about ten to 12 minutes.

Rack in the middle?

Yes... perfect.

Do we think they're done?

I can smell them-- I think they are.

They must be-- good.

Oh, look at those.

They look right.

Okay.

Oh, perfect.

Are we going to eat them right away?

We're going to eat them right away while they're hot.

Oh, great.

Quickly get them all off.

I don't think I've ever had real scones in England but I know people who have who've said they're unforgettable.

They talk about them forever.

Now, Julia, I'm going to fix you a scone the way you will never forget it.

Okay.

First, butter.

Yum.

Then...

I can see it melting into it.

Isn't that wonderful-looking?

Whipped cream on top.

And then I'm going to put them on this side.

Put the top right on.

This may look like a little excess but you're going to like it... a lot.

It's the way it's supposed to be, I guess.

Yes.

Oh, my, that's lovely.

Julia... Well, thank you.

I don't think I'll share this with anybody.

It's lovely, lovely and flaky.

All those little lumps of butter worked.

Mmm, I can see why they talk so much about it.

Oh, my, that's lovely.

Well, I'm so glad you like them.

We've got lots more, Julia.

Thank you very much.

Marion is now going to show us Irish soda bread.

It's a quick bread and I don't really know what it is.

What is it?

It's a very simple... four ingredients.

Four cups of flour.

I'm going to put in about a teaspoon and a half of salt.

And this is regular all-purpose flour?

This is all-purpose flour, unbleached.

Unbleached all-purpose.

And then we're going to have a teaspoon of soda hence the name.

Actual soda.

Actual soda.

Then what's going to raise this bread is the addition of this two cups of buttermilk which, when it meets the baking soda, it fizzes and it's bubbles that make it happen.

So...

When you use soda, do you have to bake the bread right away?

Yes, you do.

You have to have your oven set to go and because you don't want to dissipate that bubbly action.

I buttered the bottom of that.

You just buttered the bottom of it, not the sides.

No, because it's going to be a little mound there.

It's not going to touch the sides.

I see, I see.

I'm going to sprinkle the board with a little bit of flour and turn this out.

This is about as elementary as you can get, isn't it?

And, again, this is... really just to bring the dough together.

This really is a quick bread, isn't it?

Oh, as quick as quick can be.

This, too, feels... That's a soft dough, isn't it?

It is.

I can smell the buttermilk.

It's rather nice, isn't it?

Again, it has that very wholesome kind of smell here.

Can you believe that we're done?

No.

I know.

That's amazing.

And I'm going to do that cross which is very traditional and it also keeps it from cracking in odd places.

Is that ready to bake already?

It's all ready to go.

That certainly was fast.

What's your oven, 375?

375 for about 50 to 60 minutes.

Okay.

This bread has baked 50 minutes.

It was cooled, wrapped and left overnight and it's golden.

And, uh... Oh, that looks like bread, doesn't it?

I mean, it looks perfectly fine.

And you just eat it just like regular bread?

Eat it just like regular bread.

Butter and jam?

Butter and jam.

The Irish ate this every single day.

It probably toasts very nicely.

I would think very nicely.

Well, thank you.

That was fun.

It's so easy and quick.

It... just a couple of minutes and you have it made.

Better than the bread machine.

( chuckles ) Thank you, Marion.

Now, one of the greatest quickies of them all and certainly the most dramatic-- popovers which Marion now is going to make in a thrice or a whisk or a what?

First... a cup and a half of flour.

I love popovers.

They're quite wonderful.

They're sort of exciting even though you've had them many times, they can be... 1½ cups of milk, same amount as the flour.

Is this just regular two-percent milk?

Just... right.

And we're going to have a little bit of salt-- a teaspoon.

And three eggs.

Those are U.S. grade A large eggs?

Yes, they are large eggs.

Always using large eggs.

Always using large eggs.

That makes good sense.

And here we have three tablespoons of melted butter.

This is embarrassingly simple, Julia.

( whirring ) Let me stir down the sides so the flour's all in there.

Okay.

( whirring ) Now... You've got a great big pan.

Well, they should be separate, the containers.

This is the secret to making a popover that pops and really gets tall is that the cups aren't touching each other so that the heat encircles them.

That's why if you have to use a muffin pan fill only the outer muffins.

Uh-huh.

These are about two-thirds full.

Right.

That's exactly nine cups.

That's it.

That's it.

Now...

Right into the oven.

What kind of an oven do they go into now?

425.

425 oven.

And they take about 20 to 30 minutes.

But, you know, you should peek in.

You keep looking at them.

Aren't those beautiful, Marion?

They are just perfect.

They look just perfect.

Shall I just put them right up here and break them apart?

Boy, look at all that steam coming out of there.

My!

Dig in.

I'm going to have mine with honey because I like...

I think I'll do that, too.

I like to run it down me elbows.

( chuckles ) Marion, think of all that we've done in this less-than- half-an-hour.

We've done those beautiful muffins and we've done scones and those twist 'ems and soda bread and now popovers.

That's amazing that really anyone can do them.

Anyone.

They're so quick and so delicious.

And they're so inexpensive.

I thank you so much for being with us.

I've loved doing it.

It's been wonderful.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Julia's got the tastiest site Julia: Bon appétit!