Bread baking has been a source of joy in my life for years. It is contemplative, it is tactile, and at the end of the process one is fortunate enough to have warm bread to eat! I have been collecting and revising and testing different recipes for various forms of bread. If nothing else, I am happy to contribute the results of my trial and error with the world.

Most breads take time to rise. I find that time while my bread is rising to be a great time to meditate. Sometimes that meditation takes the form of a new book, or an old and well-listened-to album, or a conversation. There’s no point in rushing bread, it takes precisely the amount of time it needs.

Beer Bread

This recipe is a delicious bread where the emphasis is placed on highlighting the natural flavors of the grains used. The whole wheat contributes a rich nuttiness, bolstered by a rich yeast-forward undertone. The use of beer in the recipe creates a dense but surprisingly soft and rich crumb. This bread is perfect for breakfast with butter and marmalade, or dinner - dunked in soup.

Dissolve 15 grams sugar into 90 mLs warm water

Bloom 8 grams of yeast in the water for 10 minutes

Mix 20 grams salt, 400 grams bread flour, and 200 grams whole wheat flour in a large bowl

Pour one bottle of beer (ale, lager, or stout, I recommend using a beer you would drink - the flavor profile of the beer will come through into the bread) into the yeast mixture and stir it

Pour the beer mixture into the flour and knead thoroughly

Optionally knead 1/2 of a teaspoon of ground cloves into the dough at this stage

Knead by way of slapping and folding the dough on a lightly floured work surface until homogeneous

Allow to rise somewhere warm for two hours

Deflate, fold until the outside is taught, and roll into a log

Allow to rise for half an hour in a parchment-lined loaf pan

Dust the top with flour

Make four diagonal scores across the top

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes

Remove from the loaf-pan and set on a rack, bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Allow to cool for 30 minutes before slicing into

Biscotti

This recipe has been described as “the best biscotti I’ve ever had” by my immediate family. All the credit has to go to Ben Siman-Tov, a New York-based baker with an excellent blog! This recipe is a very slight variation on his recipe.

Combine 500 grams of all purpose flour, 225 grams of sugar, 8 grams of salt, and 8 grams of baking powder in a bowl

Add the zest of one lemon into the flour mixture

Combine 20 grams of sambuca and 70 mL of milk in a separate bowl and add to the flour

To the flour add 3 eggs, 8 grams of olive oil, and 20 grams of soft unsalted butter and mix thoroughly

Roll out flat and divide into two halves

To each half add 100 grams of raw almond

Fold each half into thirds so as to envelope the almonds and shape into loaves

Bake the loaves on a greased baking sheet for 30 minutes at 355 F

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before brushing the tops with melted unsalted butter

Leave to sit until cool (~20 more minutes)

Slice into 1/2 inch segments and array evenly on a rimmed baking sheet

Return to oven for 20 minutes

Allow to cool before serving with coffee or espresso

Brioche

This was the first time I actually decided to make bread from scratch! I didn't realize I was diving in at the deep end with brioche. I got this recipe from the YouTube channel "Binging with Babish" and it has always been a hit. In the original he divides it into balls before proofing his loaf pan to make a bubble top, but a standard loaf or rustic bread is fine too.

 Dissolve 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of yeast in 1/3 cup of warm whole milk 

Add 1 cup of flour and 1 egg

Mix into a shaggy starter

Lay 1 cup of flour over the starter

Let rest for 30-45 minutes
Add 1/3 cup sugar

Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Add 4 lightly beaten eggs

Stir together, add another cup of flour and make into a shaggy dough ball

Make homogeneous and then add 1/2 cup of flour before kneading for a solid 10 minutes until silky

Divide into two even halves

Add 1 and 1/2 sticks of soft unsalted butter to one of the halves

Roll that gross monstrosity around until it's even

Add the other half of dough back to it and make it more manageable by kneading together until even

Butter a large bowl, add the dough ball to it, cover, and let rise for somewhere warm for 2 hours

Gently deflate, before letting rise, covered, in the fridge, overnight

Remove and add to a loaf pan with parchment paper

Let it rise somewhere warm for like 2 hours and a bit (or until you're done waiting

Brush with beaten egg (or milk if you must but egg is better)

Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes (I find it useful to place foil over the top of the loaf after about 20 minutes to ensure it bakes evenly)

Challah

This recipe is adapted from the recipe my mother raised me with. Her recipe was specifically for a bread machine but kneading by hand works just fine for this recipe! She sent me a photograph of the challah recipe printed on an old and yellowed piece of paper from a book of bread machine recipes.

Add 3/4 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 cup plus two tablespoons of sugar, and 2 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast to a cup of warm water

Let it dissolve for 10 minutes so the yeast activates

Add 3 egg yolks and 3 and 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the bowl and mix it all together

Add 2 and 3/4 cups plus a tablespoon of bread flour, before kneading until silky, but slightly tacky to the touch (often I find more flour is needed, but this can get kneaded in incrementally on the workspace)

Place the dough ball in a greased bowl

Place it in a warm draft free area. I came across the advice of adding a pot of boiled water to the bottom of your turned off oven and add the covered bowl to a rack above it, leaving the door shut

Let rise for an hour before you deflate it. Then return it and let rise for another hour

Divide the dough into six even pieces. My mother used to hold one ball in each hand to see if they felt about the same weight 

The balls needed to be rolled out into long logs of even length and thickness

Stick the ends of the six logs together and braid it evenly

Let it rise for another 45 minutes before brushing with a mixture made from a bit of water, a bit of salt, and a whole egg

Place in a 350F oven for 20 minutes, before brushing a second time, and returning to the oven turned around and letting bake for another 20 minutes

Note: to make a kosher challah a piece of dough must be burnt as a sacrifice before being braided

Ciabatta

“Having always wanted to make this I finally undertook the time commitment during the 2020 pandemic. This was significantly more time consuming than I thought, but it is not as bad as sourdough. I need to do more experimentation with the recipe because there were not as many bubbles as I would have hope for, but it was still delicious and beautiful. Recipe taken from the "Brown Eyed Baker" on-line. You have to make a sponge/biga first and this will then be mixed with the rest of the ingredients. I will be providing the directions almost straight from the source, which means the recipe calls for the use of a mixer. Unfortunately I don't have access to that at school and so everything is done with a wooden spoon and my own 2 hands. It makes it fun and hands on and harkens back to ancestral times. I suggest it.”

-Contributed by Joe Manetta

Sponge:

Combine 1 cup AP flour, 1/8th tsp yeast, and 1/2 of a cup of room temp water in a medium bowl and stir until a uniform mass forms (as long as it's uniform it's fine don't stress)

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours

Dough:

Place the sponge and the dough ingredients (2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp yeast, 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup milk) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment

Mix on low speed (or stir with your spoon) until combined and a shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed

Increase the speed (and endurance of your arm) to medium-low and continue mixing until the dough becomes a uniform mass that collects on the paddle and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 4 to 6 minutes

This will be longer without a mixer, use your own judgement of when to turn it out to knead

Change to the dough hook and knead the bread on medium speed until smooth and shiny (the dough will be very sticky), about 10 minutes (doing this by hand is a lot of effort)

Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour

Spray a rubber spatula or bowl scraper with non-stick cooking spray

Fold the dough over itself by gently lifting and folding the edge of the dough toward the middle

Turn the bowl 90 degrees, and fold again

Turn the bowl and fold the dough 6 more times (for a total of 8 times)

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes

Repeat the folding as before, replace the plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes

One hour before baking, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, place a baking stone on the rack and preheat the oven to 450F

Cut two 12x6-inch pieces of parchment paper and dust liberally with flour

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, being careful not to deflate it completely

Liberally flour the top of the dough and divide it in half with a bench scraper

Turn 1 piece of dough cut-side-up and dust with flour

With well-floured hands, press the dough into a rough 12x6-inch rectangle

Fold the shorter sides of the dough toward center, overlapping them like you would fold a letter in thirds, to form a 7x4-inch rectangle

Repeat with the second piece of dough

Gently transfer each loaf, seam-side-down, to the parchment sheets, dust with flour, and cover with plastic wrap

Let the loaves sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (the surface of the loaves will develop small bubbles)

Slides the loaves and parchment onto the baking stone

Using floured fingertips, evenly poke the entire surface of each loaf to form a 10x6-inch rectangle; spray the loaves lightly with water

Bake, spraying the loaves with water twice more during the first 5 minutes of baking time, until the crust is deep golden brown and the loaves register 210F, 22 to 27 minutes

Transfer the loaves to a wire rack, discard the parchment, and let cool to room temperature for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving

Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

Inspired by a combination of a brioche dough and a cinnamon roll “cake” my brother-in-law saw online, this recipe was developed on a Sunday morning, and proved the perfect breakfast/brunch/dessert/mid-day-snack. Note that this is decidedly a “make ahead” recipe!

Dissolve a pinch of sugar in 250 grams of warm milk (~90F)

Bloom 15g of yeast in the milk for 10 minutes

Combine 700 grams of all-purpose flour, 75 grams of sugar, and a pinch of coarse salt

Add the yeast mixture and 3 whole room temp eggs slowly until everything is homogeneous

Knead in 1 cup of room temp unsalted butter until incorporated

Knead for 10 minutes then let proof in a greased bowl for one hour

Stretch the dough from one side and fold over itself at 4 points, evenly spaced around the outside of the dough ball. Do this every 15 minutes for 45 minutes then allow to rest, proofing while covered in the fridge overnight

Before removing the dough from the fridge:

Peel, core, and slice 5 apples into twelfths (firm apples work best, I prefer tart green apples)

Heat 100g of sugar and 50mLs of cold water on medium heat in the bottom of a heavy-bottom pan until syrupy

Add 170 grams of butter to that, turning up the heat to medium-high and mix constantly until caramel forms. Reduce to low heat and optionally stir in vanilla to taste (If the caramel begins to break don’t panic. Add a tablespoon or two of water and stir until homogenous. This “caramel” will form a smooth syrup after the apples are added)

Add apple chunks

Mix until softened (about 8 minutes)

Arrange the apple slices in the bottom of springform baking pan

Pour caramel sauce over top

With the dough:

Roll out into a thin sheet approximately a quarter inch in thickness (6”x15”) while cold

Spread softened butter across the whole surface

Cover evenly with cinnamon and brown sugar

Slice the long way into 6 even segments and begin rolling up the dough like a cinnamon roll

Continue to add each slice to the outside until you have one giant cinnamon roll

Place cinnamon roll on top of apple slices and let rise for 30 minutes somewhere warm

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes (Note, caramel may leak from the mold. Set it in a rimmed baking sheet to avoid the mess)

Invert the whole affair onto a serving plate and release from the springform

Slice and serve

English Muffins

Growing up, nothing was a more consistent breakfast staple than English muffins. They were ubiquitous - either as an egg sandwich or served with butter and jam alongside a cup of tea. Nothing evokes an instant homesickness and nostalgia like a toasted English muffin and mug of hot tea when I’m feeling unwell. I owe a huge thanks to my friend Hanieka for sharing this excellent recipe so I can make my own at home!

Mix 1 cup of milk (plant milk acceptable!) and 1/2 cup active sourdough starter

Separately, mix 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine wet and dry ingredients into a cohesive dough

Set in a covered bowl and leave for 8 hours/overnight

Knead to combine and roll out into a 1/2 inch thickness

Cut into approximately 4in circles

Rest uncooked muffins on a layer of cornmeal

Sprinkle more cornmeal over the top of each muffin

Allow 45 minutes to rest

Cook on a dry skillet at medium heat for 5-6 minutes. I recommend flipping after 4 minutes to help cook evenly

Focaccia

Depending on who and when you are reading this you may have lived through, may have memories of, or may be currently, dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak. I was living in Boston at the time of the outbreak and due to panic everything was being bought out at the store. First time I made focaccia was under quarantine, wanting fresh bread and not having the patience to wait too long for it. The incentive to make focaccia is that it's delicious, doesn't require any ingredients that go quickly like butter or milk, and can be made (including proof time) in under 3 hours.

Mix 5 grams of yeast in 189 grams of lukewarm water (~90°F) and let it sit for a few minutes.

While that sits mix 8 grams of salt into 300 grams of flour

Mix everything together until it's a smooth ball of dough

Let that sit somewhere warm covered in a large bowl  that you've greased with olive oil for like 90 minutes

Put olive oil on a baking sheet, sprinkle some salt on it, then add the dough on top and spread it into the corners of the sheet

Let it rise another 45 minutes before covering the whole thing with a bit more olive oil

Make a bunch of dimples in the surface with your fingers then sprinkle any seasonings you want (I did garlic powder, black pepper, rosemary, parsley, and big pieces of fresh basil, but that's just a preference)

30 minutes in the oven at 450F, enjoy while still warm

Hearth Bread

A really basic recipe, if it seems familiar it's because it's written on the back of every bag of King Arthur bread flour! They were ubiquitous in my home growing up and it was the first bread recipe I commit to memory. Excellent for sandwiches! 

Dissolve a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of salt in two cups of lukewarm water

Add 2 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast and let stand for 10 minutes

Add 5 and a 1/2 cups of bread flour, knead together onto a very well floured workspace

Knead flour in until no longer tacky to the touch

Grease a bowl, and let the greased dough ball sit in it, covered, in a warm place for 2 hours

Deflate and separate into two balls, shape into loaves, let rise for 45 minutes

Add some scoring across the top, three diagonal slits should do, then brush with warm water and sprinkle course salt (flakey sea salt or kosher salt is ideal) 

Bake the bread 25-35 minute at 425F. When done leave the oven door cracked and leave them in there as it cools to help develop a crust

Irish Soda Bread

For six months I found myself living in an charming and worn apartment in Brooklyn with some nice (albeit highly eccentric) roommates. Finding common ground between young women with careers and a quiet teenager in college didn't always come easily. In the winter months though the oven helped fight the cold and we found mutual joy in fresh food. One of my roommates supplied me her mother's recipe for a traditional Irish soda bread. Not having buttermilk or margarine or cream of tartar I improvised! Listed here is the product of that improvisation.

Mix 3 cups of flour, 1 1/4 tsps baking soda and a half tsp baking powder, and half a cup of sugar in a large bowl

Cut very small (pea size or smaller) pieces off a stick of very cold butter evenly into the mixture

Separately mix 1 1/4 cups cream or whole milk with a tablespoon and a half of lemon juice. Stir the buttermilk mixture

Slowly add buttermilk to the bowl

Move the gooey 'dough' to a VERY well floured surface

Knead the hell out of it, adding more flour and keep going until butter is incorporated 

Place on a greased sheet and bake at 350F for an hour

Naan

Naan truly is the perfect pairing for rice, curries, or just about any savory sauce. Technically, ‘naan’ just refers to bread in general. Conventionally, however, it traditionally is used to talk about the traditional soft flatbread that features in some varieties of Indian cuisine. Contrast this with something like roti, a denser flatbread which is unleavened. I've gone through quite a few iterations of naan recipes searching for one which has the right combination of fluffy and chewy!

Dissolve two tablespoons of sugar in a cup of warm water

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast to the water and leave to bloom for 10 minutes.

Whisk a cup of plain full-fat yogurt (I like Greek yogurt for this, because it has lots of active cultures which work in tandem with the yeast) into the yeast mixture

Additionally, add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and a teaspoon of salt until well-combined

Combine the wet ingredients with 3 cups of all purpose flour and 2 cups of bread flour. Knead thoroughly to combine

Let rest for an hour to rise. Knead lightly until deflated, then let rise for another hour

Divide into 6 equal pieces and roll them flat. Add a very conservative amount of flour if necessary to prevent sticking

Lightly grease a skillet or flattop grill, and over high heat cook each dough disk. Cook for several minutes per side, keeping an eye on them so that they brown without burning

Brush the hot naan with butter and optionally add a sprinkle of cilantro over top

Enjoy with your favorite curry while still warm!

Sourdough

Who doesn’t love sourdough?? I defy you to name a better all-around sandwich bread. It’s also nice because it requires no commercial yeast to be added, just a healthy starter which anyone can make and effectively culture their own wild yeast for eating. Sourdough starter is in many ways a superorganism that gives of itself for our bread-based needs. Thank you sourdough starter, for your service. Several friends and I realized maintaining sourdough starter would be a big ask of a single household without regularly freezing it. If it was shared with so-called “joint custody”, then everyone wins!

Levain:

35 grams of liquid starter, 35 grams whole wheat flour, 35 grams bread flour, 70 grams of warm water (~90F) and let it sit at room temp in a loosely covered container for 5 hours

Dough:

810 grams bread flour, 90 grams wheat flour, mixed together, and add 600 mL warm water (a two-thirds hydration)

Let that rest, loosely covered, for one hour

Bread: 

Pour your levain over top of the bread dough and off to the side set about a ¼ or a 1/2 cup of warm water (no need to be too picky, it’s going to depend on how dry the air is, how warm the room is, etc.)

Pouring some of the water over top of the starter and dimple everything together

Mix everything together into a homogenous (and glutenous) unit then let it sit, covered, for 20 minutes to let the gluten rest

Add 18 grams of salt to the remaining water, then pour that into the dough and combine everything

Pour out your very hydrated dough mass onto the counter and being the infamous slap-and-folds*

*An essential part of the sourdough process, it involves throwing the dough onto the counter in such a way as to cause it to fold in half away from you. Then it should be picked up, rotated a quarter turn, and tossed down again. This is to encourage the layers of gluten to crisscross on one another in such a way as to foster a strong gluten matrix

When done slapping and folding let it rest for 15 minutes, loosely covered in a bowl

It should then be folded over in quarters and let rest for 15 minutes

Repeat the previous step

Turn out onto the counter and fold in quarters (this time pull the back to the front, then the sides, then the front to the back and stretch that final fold all the way to the front to seal everything)

Flour the top of the loaf, then transfer it to your banneton (bread-proofing basket) flour-side-down

“Stitch” the seam shut by essentially cross-pinching the sides of the seam until it’s sealed

Let it rest, loosely covered, in the fridge overnight

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When baking preheat your Dutch oven or cast iron in the oven, to 500F

Lightly flour the bottom of your cooking vessel, add your loaf (the part that’s on top in the banneton should be on the bottom in the oven)

Add one long score to the surface (and any decorative scoring you’d like)

Transfer, covered, to your oven for 20 minutes before removing the cover and lowering to 450F for another 25 minutes

Let it cool (about an hour) before cutting into