Yeast

Make these sesame buns today, then question why it took you so long to make your own buns for burgers, egg sandwiches, fried chicken, and fillets o’ fish. This recipe from bread master Bryan Ford is based on his Master Dough recipe; simply portion it out, roll into tight balls, then dip in sesame seeds (or any small seeds and seasonings of your choice—poppy, flax, dried onion…). Ford bakes his buns in muffin rings, which gives them dramatic height—but free-form works just as well.

If you’re looking for a simple recipe for a tender sandwich bread—the kind of loaf that’d be great turned into a grilled cheese or crunchy croutons—this is it. This recipe from Bryan Ford is his Master Bread Dough, rolled into a tight log and baked until golden brown. We recommend slicing it and then freezing in a resealable plastic bag or airtight container for instant toast.

The secret behind many great breads is something called a preferment, a portion of the dough that ferments separately from (and for more time than) the rest of the ingredients. A preferment increases the strength of your dough (improving its final crumb structure) and contributes to aroma and flavor. In baker Bryan Ford’s cookbook New World Sourdough, the preferment is a sourdough starter; in this recipe, however, his preferment is the lower-maintenance poolish—a mixture of flour, water, and active dry yeast that grows overnight. Mix the poolish with more flour, water, and yeast as well as a touch of olive oil, sugar, and salt, and you get a resilient, flavorful dough that can be used in a nearly infinite number of ways. This is an instance when you really do need a kitchen scale—Ford encourages all bakers, especially beginners, to use one. The master dough can also be scaled up or down as desired.

Sfenj, hand-pulled, no-knead doughnuts dripping in honey, are best eaten immediately—and with a lot of napkins.

Snatch up summer’s last big, juicy heirloom tomatoes and join Sohla El-Waylly for a grilled naan and tomato party. Grated raw tomato and ghee-sizzled nigella seeds create a base for pretty-in-pink raita and do double duty smeared on the naan during grilling. Meanwhile, big tomato wedges get tossed in spiced yogurt before charring on the grill. The dough for the naan is sticky and soft, but don’t be tempted to add flour. A supple and moist dough is key to a tender, bubbly bread. Just keep kneading and the dough will grow bouncy and smooth. If you haven’t worked much with yeast, don’t fear! Flatbread is a forgiving place to start playing with fermentation.

This is obviously a riff on avocado toast, but 10x better because homemade flatbread beats toast any day.

These fluffy buttermilk-laced buns are filled with a cinnamon-scented date purée to capture all that gooey sticky bun glory without being overly sweet.

Why have a chocolate- or vanilla-flavored concha when you can have both in this New York–inspired twist on the classic Mexican sweet bread?

White conchas may look plain, but with a boost of high-quality vanilla, they’re unexpectedly flavorful.

If you like the sound of a choco-coconut concha, give the classic Mexican sweet bread tropical twist by using virgin coconut oil.

One of the easiest breads to make at home gets pretzel-ified with a highly burnished, salt-coated crust and a delightfully bitter twang. 

This focaccia gets twice the tomato goodness through the combination of fresh cherry tomatoes and slowly sautéed and simmered sauce in the topping.

Soft as clouds, white as snow, Japanese milk bread is the tender everyday loaf we want to bake right now.

Letting the dough proof in the fridge will extend the rising process, resulting in a more tender and flavorful crust.

The salty, springy bread that looks like the surface of a distant planet. Take us there.

These pretzel nubbins are crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

These sugary, Parmesan-y, buttery rolls are a Christmas morning mainstay for chef Angela Dimayuga’s family.

For Hanukkah, Michael Solomonov makes these challah-dough doughnuts with fresh quince paste.

The key to the buttery flavor of monkey bread is the brioche dough.

These slightly sweet brioche buns have a tender, buttery inside that's mouthwateringly good.

With any luck, these will be the softest rolls you ever make.

Too many morning buns for your crowd? This recipe halves easily.

Okay, yes, you can omit the eau de vie in this cheesy loaf recipe. But it really echoes the flavor of fondue in an unexpected and playful way.

You can serve these flatbreads as is or wrapped around a filling.