Quick Breads with Bechamel Sauce and Maple Sausage Links

I first made quick bread in 7th grade for Culinary Arts class. I remember making the quick bread, and the bechamel sauce together, so you could dip the bread in the bechamel. Bechamel can also go over noodles, like for a light sauce spaghetti night, or smother your bread sticks in the sauce, or add lots of cheese and use it for cheese to the macaroni. With quick breads, you don't use yeast, you use baking powder. It substitutes the yeast, since yeast is a slow, baking powder is used to quicken the process. It turns out kind of like simple biscuits, but bread style. 

                  INGREDIENTS FOR THE BREAD        ~1/4 cup shortening        ~2 cups flour        ~2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder        ~scant 1/4 teaspoon of salt        ~3/4 cup of milk                  INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE          ~2Tablespoons of butter          ~2Tablespoons of flour          ~1 cup of milk          ~2 tablespoons of cheese          ~sprinkling of pepperDirections
Preheat the oven to 450 degreesGet out a cookie sheet and a sheet of tin foil to cover the cookie sheet, oil the foil (on the cookie sheet) and set it aside. Begin with the shortening....


Since I don't have a pastry blender, I used two forks to cut in the shortening....
You can't cut into anything without adding something... so add ONLY 1 OF THE CUPS of flour into the bowl... you'll use the other cup of flour later...


Now you can cut in the shortening... use the two forks to make the flour and shortening into a crumbly type mixture, like this:
Next, add in the baking powder....


and the salt...

Now, cut in the baking powder and salt into the crumbly mixture, this doesn't take long at all...

NOW add in the other cup of flour... along with the milk...




Now mix the two together with the forks... it will get tougher and firmer so that's the time to start using your hands....

Put the dough on the cookie sheet with the oiled tin foil and bake for 15 minutes...

Now for the bechamel sauce....in a sauce pan, over low heat, melt the 2 Tablespoons of butter...

Add in the flower....  DO NOT MIX!


Now STIR in the 1 cup of milk... add the milk in slowly and stir 

Keep stirring the milk, butter and flour. Change to a higher heat, like to 8 or medium. Add a little bit of flour if you feel it isn't thick enough. It will take a little bit of time it seems like, but it doesn't take long at all. 
Now add in the cheese... turn off the skillet and add in the cheese, put the sauce pan over the skillet that was just on and stir the cheese in till it is all melted in.

Add a sprinkling of pepper....
And it's all done! Now for the sausages... I just got some freezer sausages by Banquet that you do in the microwave or on the skillet. They taste great! Directions are on the box.
Cut up a piece of bread, scoop some bechamel sauce over the bread and serve some sausages for a cold day breakfast :) 


YUM!!!