Hi Stephanie, this technique is generally reserved for regular or sourdough bread recipes, but we have been known to add a tangzhong starter to a cookie recipe, so the idea of pre-gelatinizing some of the starch in a small portion of the flour for a pastry recipe might well work in a quick bread recipe. The flour is actually what is being scalded here, so heating the milk/buttermilk will only work if added to the flour, and you most likely wouldn't want to scald all the flour. Heating the oil and adding it to the flour won't work the same way as a liquid like milk or water. The other consideration that you might need to take into account is that heat will activate baking powder, so you might need to allow the flour mixture to cool before adding in the baking power. All this is by way of saying that this isn't something we've tried, but you're welcome to experiment! 

• Reply