Bread & Baking
456 recipes found
Migas
In a world full of breakfast scrambles, migas is a quick, flavorful dish that deserves to be in your rotation. Pieces of tortillas (leftovers are perfect here) are pan-fried then mixed with cheesy eggs studded with softened jalapeño, onion and fragrant garlic. Together they make a filling breakfast of pantry ingredients that goes from stove to table in about 30 minutes. If you like your jalapeños on the spicier side, keep some of the seeds in while dicing. Just be careful to keep your hands away from your eyes in the process. If you’d like to top your migas, cotija, onion and cilantro are all great candidates but you can also go the extra mile and add your salsa of preference. If you’re in the mood for something smoky and blended, try a salsa taquera. If you desire a salsa with a bit more freshness, try a salsa fresca — just be mindful of the amount of jalapeños in both.
Citrusy Shortbread
This brightly flavored shortbread has a short ingredient list and is simple to make, with no electric equipment required. There are two types of sugar in these cookies, and each serves an important purpose: Rubbing grainy granulated sugar with citrus zest helps break down the zest and release its flavorful oils, and powdered sugar gives this shortbread a fine, tender texture. Use whatever citrus you have on hand, but do make sure to gently wash the outside before zesting to remove any wax. You can cut these cookies into neat rectangles or break up the slab into irregular shapes.
Cheesy Shrimp Tacos
Featuring succulent sautéed shrimp, onion, poblano chile and melty cheese, these crispy, cheesy tacos — a take on tacos gobernador — veer toward quesadilla territory. Their roots can be traced back to Los Arcos, a revered Mazatlán seafood restaurant where tacos gobernador were created for a visit from the governor of Sinaloa in the early 1990s. The dish evolved over time, and today, variations abound: Ingredients can include herbs like oregano or cilantro; fresh tomato or paste; other chiles, like serrano or chipotle; flour or corn tortillas. The tacos may be grilled over an open flame or crisped in a skillet. In this version, garlic and Worcestershire sauce add zing. Pair with a favorite salsa, hot sauce and lime and adjust as you like; these tacos are customizable yet consistently tantalizing.
Muufo (Corn Flatbread)
Fluffy and slightly sweet on the inside, with crunchy outer pockets, this cornmeal flatbread needs time to rise but cooks up quickly in a skillet. In Somalia, muufo is normally baked using a traditional tinaar (tandoor) clay oven. For many that are a part of the Somali diaspora, the cooking method has adapted from using a tinaar to pan-frying muufo or making it on a grill. Muufo’s texture is best when it's consumed right after it's freshly made, as it stiffens over time. If consuming on a different day, freeze the dough and pan fry when you’re ready to eat it. Pair muufo with chicken suqaar or suqaar hilib, or vegan fuul or cagaar. Muufo’s pillowy interior is great for soaking up all the delicious juices and flavors from any of these dishes.
Doubles
Easily the most recognizable and beloved dish from Trinidad and Tobago, doubles are an expression of migration and fortitude. Badru Deen is the son of Emamool and Raheman Rasulan Deen, who conceived of the dish in 1936 in Princes Town as a way to support their large family, bridging Indian flavors with the ingredients of their Caribbean home. Doubles are addictive: The turmeric-and-cumin-laced bara (fried bread) are crisp but soft, cradling spiced chickpeas that are punctuated with sour, spicy, sweet and crunchy condiments. As with all deep-frying, have a splatter guard handy, and open a window. Traditionally, doubles are served with mango chutney and pepper sauce, chadon beni or culantro chutneys, but, inspired by the cross-island connections found in “Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking” by Von Diaz (Chronicle Books, 2024), these can be topped with mint-cilantro chutney from Mauritius and tamarind sauce. Sauces are optional, but strongly encouraged. Doubles are messy by design, and turmeric will stain your clothes.
Vegan Banana Bread
If you’ve never tried to bake anything before, this is a great place to start. (You don’t even need a cake pan!) And if you’re an expert in the kitchen, you’ll be delighted with this quick bread that’s as tender as cake. Overripe bananas not only deliver their deep sweetness, but also bind together the batter made from pantry ingredients. With neither dairy nor eggs, this treat tastes like the purest form of banana bread and also ends up being vegan. You can skip the crunchy topping or swap in your favorite nuts, or black or white sesame seeds. You also can stir a cup of mini chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate into the batter before baking to take this from breakfast treat to dessert.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/20240308-BreadPakora-SEA-KanikaandJatinSharma19-6759f6d451ce41278b4415f94e76f07b.jpg)
Bread Pakora (Potato Fritter Sandwich)
Dipped in a chickpea flour batter and fried, these turmeric and chile-spiced potato sandwiches are a favorite snack for many across India, where they’re a popular street food and also frequently made at home.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/20240306-SEA-DebbieWee-milkbread-step13-1nolid-909fb1a05c3648378d008648e1b6ddbe.jpg)
Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread)
After experimenting with various flours and methods, I've finally landed on a foolproof recipe. Here's the science behind how to make a gorgeous, tender, and long-lasting loaf.
Whole-Wheat Za’atar Flatbreads
These herb-smeared flatbreads can be an ideal snack or appetizer with (or without) a little labneh or feta, or they can accompany a main course. The dough is easy to mix by hand, preferably several hours in advance of baking to let it hydrate and mature and allow gluten to develop. Za’atar, a lightly salted spice blend containing wild thyme, sumac and sesame, makes a delicious topping. Though you can make your own, it’s worth a trip to a Middle Eastern grocery where many different versions are sold.
Technicolor Cookies
Cookies artfully decorated with royal icing are a holiday classic, but their fine details and beautiful colors can take hours to achieve. Not with these gorgeous cookies. Once the icing is made and stained, it takes only a few minutes to decorate. The icing is simply poured over the cookies, a technique inspired by the one used to pour swirly colors of mirror glaze over smooth cakes. (For a quicker alternative to royal icing, simply dip or drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate.) No two cookies will be the same, and that’s a big part of the charm. Underneath the exterior is a crisp, satisfying shortbread flavored with heaps of bright orange zest and quintessential winter spices.
Neapolitan Checkerboard Cookies
This recipe combines the classic flavors of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla — reminiscent of Neapolitan ice cream — all in one bite. While the assembly may seem daunting at first, it can be a fun project, and the end result is graphic and delicious. In making a perfect checkerboard pattern, you’ll inevitably have some scraps. Roll them into a log, which can then be sliced and baked into marbled shortbreads.
Flour Tortillas
Homemade flour tortillas give every single store-bought one a run for its money and will elevate any burrito or quesadilla you make. The process is somewhat laborious, and it can be challenging to get them to be perfectly round, but perfection is not necessary, as you are going to roll or fold them anyway and your shapes will improve as you practice. This recipe uses vegetable shortening, which makes the tortillas accessible to vegetarians and non vegetarians alike. Taking a cue from the El Paso and Ciudad Juárez region, these tortillas de harina fronterizas are made with hot water and baking powder and the dough rests twice, the second time with the portioned dough nicely rubbed in fat. Follow these simple steps, give the dough a chance to rest and make sure the tortilla is fully cooked: When done on the outside, brown freckles appear on both sides, and it’ll be cooked through on the inside when it puffs. The results will be worth your while, as the tortillas will be soft and pillowy. Tuck any leftovers into a sealed container and enjoy the fruits of your labor for days.
Burritos de Chile Verde con Papas (Chile Verde Burritos With Potatoes)
One of the most popular and traditional burritos of the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez borderlands, this chile verde burrito is referred to as a purist burrito: It has no toppings, no garnishes and no salsas or crema to drizzle on top. It is neat, clean, slim and tightly packed; its filling is intensely flavorful, but delicate in its texture and bite. Everything in it is cooked al punto, on point: The Anaheim chiles are fire-roasted to bring out their exuberance, tenderly cooked over soft heat with almost-caramelized onions and soft-to-the-bite potatoes, and then coated in creamy crema. The fact that the best renditions of this burrito are made with freshly made flour tortillas makes the experience sublime.
Easy Herb Stuffing
This recipe makes a simple, versatile Thanksgiving stuffing, flavored with sautéed onions and celery, savory herbs and chicken broth. Almost any kind of bread will work, but choose a fluffy white bread, like a Pullman loaf or French bread, if you can. Even sliced sandwich bread works — and it provides a great shortcut for cubing the bread. Be sure to toast the bread cubes in the oven if you’re using a fresh loaf of bread; the cooked cubes should be dry and firm to the touch, like croutons. If you’re rationing oven space on Thanksgiving Day, you can assemble the stuffing and refrigerate it up to 12 hours before baking. The stuffing will be crisp on top and moist underneath. The longer you leave it in the oven without foil, the crispier the bread cubes on the top will be.
Sausage and Leek Stuffing
Heavy cream is a nontraditional addition to Thanksgiving stuffing, but in combination with the stock and eggs, it lends a special custardy richness to this otherwise classic, no-frills recipe. (Watch Claire make Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish on YouTube.)
French Toast Casserole
A good breakfast casserole is not only a crowd pleaser, it’s also a practical addition to any breakfast or brunch spread for many reasons: It comes together with a simple ingredient list, it can be assembled, then refrigerated overnight until the next morning, and it is much easier to cook for a crowd than traditional French toast. Day-old French bread works best here, but you can substitute any fluffy white bread or enriched bread like challah or brioche; just remove the crusts if they’re on the thicker side. The butter and brown sugar topping creates a crunchy, caramel-like crust as the casserole bakes, and the inside remains moist and tender. This casserole is plenty sweet on its own, but feel free to dress it up with powdered sugar, maple syrup and fresh berries.
Buss Up Shut (Paratha-Style Roti)
In Trinidad and Tobago, this roti is called buss up shut because it resembles a torn — busted up — shirt after the flaky layers of paratha roti are shredded during the cooking process. This version comes from Peter Prime, the executive chef of the Caribbean restaurant Bammy’s in Washington, D.C. Across the world, from the Indian subcontinent to the Caribbean Islands and East Africa, roti is used to describe several versions of flat, unleavened bread cooked on the stovetop. Here, the soft dough is brushed with a combination of butter or ghee and coconut oil for a toasted nuttiness that lingers faintly within the finished tender and chewy layers. The roti should be served while it’s still hot, but can also be cooled completely, wrapped in a sealed bag and frozen. Defrost and warm up by steaming gently for a few minutes.
Taquitos
In Spanish, taquitos means “little tacos,” and depending on where you are in Mexico, they can refer to small tacos, breakfast tacos, or stuffed, rolled and fried tacos. If they’re the latter, as in this recipe, medium-size tortillas are typically used, whereas when larger tortillas are used, they are called flautas (or flutes). When choosing your tortillas, freshness is more important than size — they need to be soft and pliable so they won’t crack when rolled. Pick up the bag of tortillas at the store and gently bend the stack; if they are stuck together, stiff or you see any broken edges, they are probably old and will be difficult to roll. Conversely, if there is condensation inside the bag, that generally means the tortillas were packed warm, have a higher moisture content and are likely fresh.
Tostadas
In Spanish, tostada is used as an adjective and a noun to refer to a tortilla that has been toasted on a comal or griddle, crisped in the oven, or in some regions of Mexico, fried until golden brown. Stateside, store-bought corn tortillas are made using preservatives to extend their shelf life, but they can also add a sour taste and smell to the product. This is masked by toasting or frying them, which enhances the flavor of the corn, making them taste more like something you would find in Mexico. Tostadas can be used to hold whatever fillings you want to pile on top, but in this recipe, chorizo and canned beans make a quick meal perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Easy Banana Bread
This recipe makes a simple and classic banana bread — lightly spiced with a hint of cinnamon, and incredibly tender thanks to a dollop of sour cream in the batter. For best results, use very ripe bananas, but know the recipe will still work if yours are not yet at the speckly stage. While banana bread is, of course, delicious when it’s warm from the oven, the flavor and texture are actually the best on the second day (if you can wait that long). Feel free to mix 1 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, or a combination, into the batter for this easy, everyday treat.
Chilaquiles Verdes
Chilaquiles are beloved all over Mexico and across the U.S. Southwest. Tortillas are fried, simmered in salsa and adorned with a multitude of herbs and proteins that vary with the chefs cooking them. Some folks prefer their totopos (tortilla chips) crisper, while some like them softer. Chilaquiles can be doused in salsa, but just a bit can yield a meal just as delicious. Though it really is worth stretching for the best quality tortillas you can find and frying them to your liking, in a pinch, buying the best tortilla chips you can works, too. Bottled salsa will do, if absolutely necessary, but a quick homemade salsa will produce dividends in taste with relatively little labor.
Crispy Potato Tacos
Potato tacos, or tacos de papa, as they are known in Mexico, make the perfect meal for those times when you find yourself with an excess of potatoes and a package of tortillas on hand. Tortillas are an endlessly versatile pantry item. In this recipe, adapted from “Tenderheart” by Hetty Lui McKinnon (Alfred A. Knopf, 2023), they are stuffed with potato and cheese for a deeply satisfying meal or light snack. Cooking the potatoes whole, skin intact, prevents them from absorbing too much water, and the skin also adds a nice texture to the filling. Shortcuts are always available: If you’ve got leftover mashed potatoes, you can use them and skip the first step.
Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles are an incredibly comforting, quick and easy Mexican dish whose origins and name are believed to go back to the Aztecs. (In Náhuatl, the Aztec language, the name means “submerged in chile sauce.”) It was — and is — a great way to use up stale tortillas because they soften and absorb the flavor and color of the chiles. For chilaquiles rojos, guajillo chiles are used to add that familiar brick red color, as well as an earthiness that balances out the sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes. Chiles de árbol add heat, but if you don’t have them, you can use one or two chipotles in adobo for heat and a bit of smokiness. Top with shredded rotisserie chicken or roasted vegetables to make a hearty meal.
Tortillas de Maíz
Any reservations you might have had about making corn tortillas from scratch will disappear the moment you taste them: warm, soft and chewy, they actually taste like corn. Freshly made masa purchased from a Mexican market or tortilleria will give you the most soulful flavor and texture, but masa harina is a close second that turns out tortillas that are still miles ahead of packaged ones. When mixed with water and salt, masa presses easily into rounds if it’s properly hydrated according to the tips below. A staple of the Mexican table, homemade tortillas are served with most meals the way bread is in other countries. And while outside Mexico, tacos may be their most well-known use, they can be toasted to make tostadas; stuffed, rolled and fried to make taquitos or flautas; or bathed in a chile, bean, tomato or mole sauce to make enchiladas, enfrijoladas, entomatadas and enmoladas.