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Keep calm and bake on.
I'm a New Yorker, which means fresh, boiled-then-baked bagels are part of my DNA. But for the six months of quarantine that I spent in Massachusetts, I severely missed New York bagels. So when I found this New York–style bagel recipe with incredible reviews, I figured it was worth a try. As for ingredients, you don't need much — only active dry yeast, granulated sugar, warm water, bread flour, and salt (plus your go-to bagel seasonings). After making the dough and kneading, the dough has to sit at room temperature for an hour to double in size. Then you can begin shaping the bagels.
They tasted amazing fresh from the oven, but the texture and taste deteriorated overnight. So eat 'em while they're hot!
Recipe: New York–Style Bagels
I absolutely love naan, the oven-baked flatbread you probably associate with Indian cuisine. I almost always have a bag of Trader Joe's garlic naan in my freezer, which I whip up whenever I'm feeling lazy. So I figured: why not try making it from scratch? I found a recipe from Once Upon a Chef that looked simple enough. And I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen. All you need is all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, salt, plain yogurt, olive oil, and warm water.
You basically just cover the dough to let it rise, then cut the dough into smaller, equally sized pieces. Shape the balls of dough into flat ovals and cook them in a hot skillet.
And that's all there is to this pillowy, chewy homemade flatbread.
Recipe: Homemade Naan
Once I made naan from scratch, I was hooked on this whole baking thing. Next on my list of recipes to try was homemade pita bread, a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flatbread. It's similar to naan but the dough doesn't call for any yogurt. You'll need flour, active dry yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. I used a mix of whole wheat and white flour because I prefer the flavor.
It made for a great sandwich, stuffed with lots of veggies and hummus!
Recipe: Easy Homemade Pita Bread
My family is obsessed with pizza. Like, all of us. We might have a problem. But when we are together, we make pizza. And we don't mess around with store-bought dough. We make it from scratch, which is actually a whole lot easier than it might sound. To make your own pizza dough, you'll need active dry yeast, olive oil, salt, sugar, and flour (I'd recommend 00 Flour).
Also, I took a pizza-making class before the quarantine and put together this article full of tips, which you can follow in detail.
You mix the wet ingredients into the salt and flour mixture, knead it with your hands, divide the dough into equally sized pieces, and store them in plastic takeout containers at room temperature until they rise. At that point, you're ready to make pizza!
Transfer the pizza to a semolina-dusted pizza peel, baking sheet, or pizza stone. Just make sure to give the oven enough time to get super hot. Looks like you're ready to make homemade pizza!
Recipe: Ultimate Pizza Dough
IMHO, challah (a braided bread popular in Jewish cuisine) is one of the most delicious things in the world. It's enriched with eggs and olive oil — so the resulting loaf is moist, chewy, and basically melts in your mouth. And thanks to this recipe from Food52 for no-knead challah, it's actually incredibly simple to make at home. To make it, you'll need bread flour, instant dry yeast, salt, eggs, olive oil, honey, and water. Simple enough, right? You don't need much baking experience to make this challah. You just need some patience!
You can braid the dough however you like best. I personally prefer a long challah as opposed to a round one. Let it rest for a few hours more, then brush the bread with egg whites, and bake it in the oven. Twenty minutes later, you have golden-crusted, eggy challah ready to be devoured.
I always follow Ina Garten's amazing recipe because no one knows challah French toast like the Barefoot Contessa.
Recipe: No-Knead Challah Bread
I can look back on my quarantine in two parts: the pre-sourdough phase and the sourdough-making period. Once I gained the confidence to make sourdough, there was no turning back. Now, let's not forget that this pandemic also included a flour shortage, so I first had to track down whole wheat and bread flour, which was a struggle.
Next, I made a starter. One of the highlights of my quarantine is when I noticed my starter had come to life (sad, I know). You can read all about that journey here.
I wrote all about my experience learning how to make sourdough, and you can read my step-by-step guide here. And there are plenty of beginner-friendly sourdough recipes online. My absolute favorite is Claire Saffitz's recipe from New York Times cooking. The Perfect Loaf also has a great one.
To make sourdough, all you need is an active starter, flour (I achieve my best results by using a mixture of bread flour, whole wheat, and rye), kosher salt, and water.
On day one, feed your starter. Day two is where the bulk of the work happens. You'll feed your starter again, combine the flours, fold the dough, and let it proof overnight in the fridge. On day three, you bake.
There's nothing like taking a steamy boule of homemade bread from the oven that you literally made from scratch — starter and all. Cut into that baby and you'll have airy, tangy, and chewy sourdough that will put all other bread to shame.
Recipe: Beginner's Sourdough Bread