Breads
6 recipes
Skillet Cornbread
Unsweetened Southern cornbread, all cornmeal and no wheat, poured into a preheated buttered cast iron pan so the crust sets on contact and comes out crunchy.
Simit Sesame Rings
Turkish street bread: twisted dough rings dipped in thinned grape molasses and pressed into sesame seeds, baked until the crust is dark and the seeds toast through.
Puff Puff
West African fried dough made from a loose yeasted batter left to bubble, then dropped into hot oil in rough spoonfuls that puff into round, chewy, faintly nutmeg-scented balls.
Naan
Soft yogurt-enriched flatbread cooked on a screaming-hot cast iron pan so it blisters and puffs in under two minutes, then brushed with melted butter and cilantro.
French Baguette
Flour, water, salt and a pinch of yeast fermented overnight, then shaped, slashed and baked with steam. The long rise is what gives the open crumb and blistered crust.
Focaccia
A high-hydration dough given an overnight cold rise, then dimpled under olive oil and baked in a pan so the base fries crisp while the crumb stays open and custardy.