ingredients include beaten eggs, which have trapped air that helps the product to rise. In these recipes, the fats are liquid, such as cooking oil. Usually mixing is done using a tool with a wide head such as a spoon or spatula to prevent the dough from becoming over-beaten, which would break down the egg's lift. The creaming method is frequently used for cake batters. The butter and sugar are "creamed", or beaten together until smooth and fluffy. Eggs and liquid flavoring are mixed in, and finally dry and liquid ingredients are added in. The creaming method combines rise gained from air bubbles in the creamed butter with the rise from the chemical leaveners. Gentle folding in of the final ingredients avoids destroying these air pockets. The shortening method, also known as the biscuit method, is used for biscuits and sometimes scones. This method cuts solid fat (whether lard, butter, or vegetable shortening) into flour and other dry ingredients using a food processor, pastry blender, or two hand-held forks. The layering from this process gives rise and adds flakiness as the folds of fat melt during baking. This technique is said to produce "shortened" cakes and breads, regardless of whether or not the chosen fat is vegetable shortening. Dough consistency Quick breads also vary widely in the consistency of their dough or batter. There are four main types of quick bread batter: Pour batters, such as pancake batter, have a liquid-to-dry-ratio of about 1:1 and so pours in a steady stream. Also called a "low-ratio" baked good. Drop batters, such as cornbread and muffin batters, have a liquid-to-dry ratio of about 1:2. Soft doughs, such as many chocolate chip cookie doughs, have a liquid-to-dry ratio of about 1:3. Soft doughs stick significantly to work surfaces. Stiff doughs, such as pie crust and sugar cookie doughs, have a liquid-to-dry ratio of about 1:8. Stiff doughs are easy to work in that they only minimally stick to work surfaces, including tools and hands. Also called "high-ratio" baked good. The above are volumetric ratios and are not based on baker's percentages or weights. See also Bread (especially the Composition and chemistry section) List of baked goods List of quick breads References Further reading Cook's Illustrated (2004). The quick breads Recipe. America's Test Kitchen. Professional Cooking, 6th Edition. (2007) Chapter 31, Quick Breads. The Art of Quick Breads, 1st Edition. (San Francisco, Chronicle Books,