This theory is a good one, but could it really just be a language and description issue? There’s gotta be something else. Like maybe quark doesn’t entirely fit the flavor/texture profile of what people want in a dairy snack. I’ll be honest, when I tried it I wasn’t sold on it as an alternative to my favorite yogurt. It’s texture is lovely—really smooth and creamy—but I found the flavor to be too mild for my greek-yogurt-adjusted palate. To me, quark has the profile of an ingredient or food companion vs. a stand-alone, ready-to-eat consumable. It’s like butter, oil, or sour cream—all essential ingredients for deliciousness in cooking and baking, but foods that you would likely never eat on their own. Maybe “essential ingredient” is the ticket for quark?!?
For me, it is! Quark is the secret ingredient in my Super-Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. It’s also, apparently, the main ingredient in some traditional European-style cheesecakes. (…and, “If it’s good in cheesecake, then it has to be crazy good in banana bread!”…my thought exactly!) It’s texture does the trick—not too dense like full fat greek yogurt and not too runny like heavy cream or low-fat yogurt. Try it. Perhaps give it a go in other quick breads or cakes. I’m convinced this is the place for quark in our kitchen repertoires!
Now, you can’t very well enjoy Super-Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread without a beverage to reinvigorate your palate for each new bite (well, you can…but the right beverage companion makes it that much better!). So, what are you thinking? Milk? Coffee? Iced Coffee? How about all of those together infused with cinnamon, cloves, and a Vermont-born delight, maple sugar. Maple just goes with mornings. And, let me tell you, it goes with milk, coffee, and spice too! So while your banana bread is rising in the oven, simmer-up a batch of milk for my version of a Spiced Maple Cafe Au Lait on Ice. Then—perhaps—kick-up your feet and consider this: “Vermont Will Pay You $10,000 to Move There and Work From Home.” Admittedly, I have a soft-spot for VT since my husband and I met there during our college years. Something tells me Super-Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread + Spiced Maple Cafe Au Lait mornings happen all of the time in VT. Perhaps we should all move there?!?
Click images to view and try the recipes in this post:
Christina Pitcher · June 22, 2018
Hi, can I sun a gluten free all purpose flour mixture???
Thx. Princess Christina
off-script recipes · June 23, 2018
Hi Christina! The simple answer is “Yes”,but you’ll also likely need to add xanthan gum to help provide structure. First check the ingredient line of your GF flour mixture and make sure that it does not already contain xanthan gum (most do not). If not, then I would add 1 tsp xanthan gum to the 1.5 c. gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture. My other recommendation is to let the batter sit in the mixing bowl for 30 minutes before transferring it to your loaf pan and adding the chocolate chips and nuts. GF flours often need more time that wheat-based flour to absorb moisture. You want to give the GF flour time to hydrate so that the resulting texture is soft and moist (vs. gritty like some GF baked goods). My last tip is to possibly add 1-2 tbsp. more quark if you are not satisfied with the moistness and texture of the bread on your first attempt. I believe that the amount called-for in the original recipe should be adequate, but this is a matter of personal preference. Let me know how it turns out. I love that you’re taking this recipe off-script in your own way. Good luck!