Grist Mill Quick Loaf Breads

from the introduction:
The turning water wheel, the flour-dusted miller, the lazy lad with a fishing pole sticking beside him in the soft earth of the mill pond bank—all these grist-related images bespeak of bygone days. Water-powered (and wind-powered) grist mills are true Americana, and those structures still in existence deserve to be preserved as national treasures. Milling is a vital element in the story of the survival and growth of this country. We will look at some top-quality bread recipes (no run-of-the-mill selections, I promise!). This convenient collection of quick breads utilizes baking powder or baking soda to make them rise, rather than baking yeast. My family and I personally test, taste, and enjoy homemade whole-grain breads every day. [Whenever possible, use whole-grain products, ideally stone-ground. Whole-grain flours are nutritionally superior, plus they have more flavor. "White" wheat flour has the "good stuff" taken out—the bran, wheat germ, and "shorts" are removed; then to get "bleached flour" the flour is treated with such things as oxides of chlorine, acetone peroxide, potassium bromate, etc. to whiten and "mature" the flour, rendering a "more tender final product in baking." Unbleached flour is aged in the air, where oxygen lightens it to an off-white color.