From perfect sourdough to zesty cornbread to drool-worthy banana bread, these recipes will have you firing up your oven in 3...2...1...
Sunset Staff
So you tried sourdough and it didn’t work out for you. Or maybe it did, but you’re looking for a new glutinous challenge. We’ve got some ideas, from classic to sweet to a little out there. (Tomato bread—it’s a thing.)
We do have a sourdough recipe if you’re ready to get back on that horse. It’s a pretty easy one with directions included for a nearly foolproof starter, so we think you’ll be set up to succeed. Other classic loaves in the list include rye, an Irish soda bread, and maybe the most tender and delicious whole-wheat loaf ever.
For something a little different, try a flatbread, that staple of the Middle East and North Africa that is at least as versatile as pizza crust—and which actually does make a good pizza crust, come to think of it. Top it with veggies, make it a platform for minted lamb, or use it to scoop up your dinner Ethiopian style.
Bread isn’t just for the evening meal, of course. We’ve got several biscuit recipes, including the most buttery, flaky treats imaginable, courtesy of Northern California’s Manresa bakery. These biscuits were a favorite of Sunset staff, and flew off the test kitchen cooling racks when the recipe was being scaled down and adapted for home chefs.
We’ve got rolls and cornbread perfect as a side to just about any dish. And we’ve included a few sweet loaves as well, some of which just about double as dessert—like cranberry-orange bread with Grand Marnier glaze—and some of which are simply classic, like banana bread. Happy baking!
Favorite Bread Recipes
Classic Loaves
Flatbreads
Cornbreads
Rolls, Breads, and Biscuits
Sweet Breads
Classic Loaves
Flatbreads
1 of 9Yunhee Kim
Zaatar Flatbreads
We like to experiment with different blends of zaatar, the Middle Eastern spice mix—one day Lebanese, the next Israeli, Jordanian, or Syrian.
2 of 9James Carrier
Brunch Flatbread with Eggs, Bacon, and Frisée
The dough for these flatbreads can be made the night before serving.
3 of 9Dan Goldberg
Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread)
You can’t have Ethiopian food without injera. And if you’re making injera, why not make Ethiopian food to go with?
4 of 9Annabelle Breakey
Lamb Flatbread Pizza with Feta and Mint Salad
Our speedy version of lahmajoun, the spicy lamb flatbread of Turkey and Armenia, disrupts the weeknight dinner routine in the best possible way.
5 of 9Annabelle Breakey
Herbed Flatbread Pizzas
“This recipe originated from a surplus of backyard ‘weeds’—overgrown herbs. It’s perfect for the summer, and goes well with a big salad.”
6 of 9Norman A. Plate
Grilled Rosemary Flatbreads
An essential dipping snack for any cookout.
7 of 9Thomas J. Story
Asparagus Insalata Piadine
“Don’t wait for your guests to sit down for these,” says chef Michael Chiarello. “You gotta make ’em and eat ’em.”
8 of 9Iain Bagwell
Grilled Eggplant Naan Wraps with Tahini-Yogurt Dressing
You may want to make extra, because leftovers are fantastic for lunch the next day.
9 of 9Thomas J. Story
Grilled Pork Souvlaki with Fresh Pita
Most of this can be done ahead, the meat and pita cook in minutes, and it’s easy to serve.
Cornbreads
1 of 7Thomas J. Story
Brown Butter Maple Cornbread
Make this for a crowd or eat it mid-Netflix binge in your coziest pair of pajama pants—we won’t judge. Try it with spicy jalapeño butter.
2 of 7Thomas J. Story
Buttermilk Cornbread
Chef Cindy Daniel learned how to make this moist cornbread from her mom while she was growing up in Louisiana.
3 of 7Rachel Weill
Cornbread with Whipped Lardo
Though this jalapeño-studded cornbread is on the sweeter side, when combined with the whipped lardo—a fluffy mix of butter and fresh lard—it’s a wonderful meet-up of porky and cakey.
4 of 7Aya Brackett
Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread
This is a great cornbread for testing unusual cornmeals—or, for a denser bread, you can use all cornmeal instead of mixing it with flour.
5 of 7Shelly Strazis
Roasted Chile Cornbread
Roasted chiles make everything better.
6 of 7James Carrier
Blueberry Cornbread
Doug Case calls this cakelike cornbread with blueberries “easy comfort food,” and we had to agree.
7 of 7James Carrier
Very Good Cornbread
This cornbread is very good, or we would’ve given it a different name.
Rolls, Breads, and Biscuits
1 of 10Leigh Beisch
Chive and Thyme Pull-Apart Rolls
Show off your garden herbs with these buttery rolls. Show off your Hulk-like strength by tearing them to pieces.
2 of 10Leigh Beisch
Overnight Soft Herb Rolls
These rolls are so good, we could eat a dozen. (And we have!)
3 of 10Leo Gong
Squash Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
Soft, cheerfully orange, and slightly sweet.
4 of 10AnnabelleBreakey
Buttery Dinner Rolls
This dough is so easy to work with that we find ourselves making it over and over again, with slight variations.
5 of 10Leo Gong
Coconut-Milk Pudding Rolls
The coconut milk added after the dough rises creates a thick pudding on the pan bottom—sort of a reverse frosting.
6 of 10Thomas J. Story
Mark Klever’s Dutch Oven Biscuits
Mark Klever, the general manager at Belcampo Farms, learned to make these biscuits from his grandmother. He renders his own lard from Belcampo’s free-range pigs, and he bakes up a batch for his family nearly every week, just like his family used to do.
7 of 10Iain Bagwell
Summer Berry Cobbler with Sour Cream Biscuits
We suppose you could just make the sour-cream biscuits on their own…
8 of 10Thomas J. Story
Buttermilk Biscuits
Use a cast-iron pan for that old-timey frontier flavor.
9 of 10Thomas J. Story
Manresa Bread’s Buttery Biscuits
These towering, extravagantly layered squares might remind you more of puff pastry or croissants than the often-humble quick bread.
10 of 10Brown Cannon III
Cornmeal-Crusted Buttermilk Biscuits
When you can’t plan far enough in advance to make bread, make these biscuits instead.
Sweet Breads
1 of 7Leo Gong
Oatmeal-Currant Breakfast Bread
You’ll want a bacon omelette with this one.
2 of 7Tina Rupp
Blueberry-Banana Bread
Break out the cream cheese!
3 of 7Alex Farnum
Chocolate Banana Bread
This dense, moist bread tastes so chocolaty that you’d never guess it’s made with prune purée instead of butter.
4 of 7Angela Wyant
Farmer John’s Favorite Pumpkin Bread
Rich spice flavors shine in this tender, cakelike bread.
5 of 7
Pineapple Guava (Feijoa) Quick Bread
Pineapple guava, also called feijoa, is a fruit that adds a sweet-tart-floral flavor.
6 of 7Leigh Beisch
Cranberry-Orange Bread with Grand Marnier Glaze
This bread is a versatile, easy-to-make crowd-pleaser.
7 of 7Annabelle Breakey
Orange Hot Cross Buns
Making your own candied orange peel is worth it!
