Flaky Indian-Style Flatbread Stuffed with Potato Aloo Paratha MAKES: 8 to 12 TIME: At least 1 hour I adore this bread and was fortunate enough to learn how to make it from an expert, the great Indian cook and cookbook writer Julie Sahni. This is essentially her...
Flaky Indian-Style Flatbread Paratha MAKES: 8 to 12 TIME: At least 1 hour Unlike chapati (the preceding recipe), this dough is enriched with butter or oil, which gives it a lovely flaky texture. (Use oil if you want the parathas to be vegan.) Like chapatis, these must...
Fast French Bread or Rolls MAKES: 3 or 4 baguettes, 1 boule, or 12 to 16 rolls TIME: About 2 hours, largely unattended This bread can be made by hand or with an electric mixer (see left), but the food processor, as usual, is the tool of choice and will save you tons...
Doughnut Puffs, Sweet or Savory MAKES: About 2 dozen TIME: 30 minutes For everyone who craves bread and pastry, fried dough is the ultimate decadence; no wonder virtually every culture has both sweet and savory versions of it. This recipe is basically a pate choux, a...
Corn Bread MAKES: About 6 servings TIME: About 45 minutes Corn bread is indispensable, especially to a vegetarian diet, where its full flavor and slightly crunchy texture are welcome at any meal. And few dishes deliver so much for so little work. Be sure to experiment...
Cheese Shortbread MAKES: 30 to 40 puffs TIME: 30 minutes After just one of these crisp, melt-in-your-mouth snacks you'll never want another of those bright orange cheese puffs (gougres). The dough can be made ahead of time or the shortbreads baked a day ahead and...
Breadsticks MAKES: 50 to 100 TIME: A day or so, largely unattended In Piedmont, Italy where breadsticks are called grissini you wouldn't bother to adorn these with anything. But their slightly sweet flavor is also good with a sprinkling of poppy seeds or sea salt...
Boston Brown Bread MAKES: 1 large or 2 small loaves TIME: About 11/2 hours, largely unattended This soft-crusted bread, traditionally eaten with Baked Beans, is best with a mixture of flours. Although it can be baked or steamed, I prefer baking. Stir up to 1 cup of...
Black Bread MAKES: 2 small loaves or 1 large loaf TIME: 3 hours, largely unattended This bread features a one-step mixing technique that keeps the process simple, and in return you get a full-flavored, fairly dense, almost-black Russian-style loaf that's perfect with...