bake quick breads on the center oven rack for best heat circulation.
remove quick breads from the pan after about 10 minutes cooling for easier pan removal.
cool quick breads completely before slicing. use a sharp thin-bladed knife and a light sawing motion to cut cleanly through the loaf.
after cooling, wrap loaves tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
for muffins, grease only the bottoms of the muffin cups with shortening. paper baking cups are ideal for easy cleanup.
muffin batter should be lumpy after stirring the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. stir just until moistened for muffins that are tender and nicely rounded.
use a spring-handled #20 or #24 ice cream scoop to fill muffins cups or a melon ball-size scoop for mini-muffins.
fill empty, greased muffin cups with water to prevent burning the grease during baking.