These recipes are for Grandpa and his family. This category includes recipes from magazines, TV shows, newspapers, and other sources where I don’t have permission to republish the recipes, but still feels they are recipes that he may want to cook for himself at a later time.
Even if you’ve never made homemade bread or worked with yeast before, this homemade artisan bread is for you. Watch the video tutorial below and review the recipe instructions and recipe notes prior to beginning. If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
3 and 1/4 cups (about 430g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and pan
2 teaspoons (about 6g) instant yeast
2 teaspoons (about 9g) coarse salt (see note)
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) water, close to room temperature at about 70°F (21°C)
optional: cornmeal for dusting pan
Instructions
In a large ungreased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together. Pour in the water and gently mix together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. If needed, use your hands (as I do in the video tutorial below) to work the dough ingredients together. The dough will be sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best you can.
Keeping the dough in the bowl, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine!). Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.
You can continue with step 4 immediately, but for absolute best flavor and texture, I strongly recommend letting this risen dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Place covered dough in the refrigerator for 12 hours – 3 days. I usually let it rest in the refrigerator for about 18 hours. The dough will puff up during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s fine and normal—nothing to worry about.
Lightly dust a large nonstick baking sheet (with or without rims and make sure it’s nonstick) with flour and/or cornmeal. Turn the cold dough out onto a floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough in half. Some air bubbles will deflate as you work with it. Place dough halves on prepared baking sheet. Using floured hands, shape into 2 long loaves about 9×3 inches each (doesn’t have to be exact) about 3 inches apart. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes. You will bake the dough on this prepared baking sheet.
During this 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C).
When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife or bread lame (some even use kitchen shears), score the bread loaves with 3 slashes, about 1/2 inch deep. (“Score” = shallow cut.) If the shaped loaves flattened out during the 45 minutes, use floured hands to narrow them out along the sides again.
Optional for a slightly crispier crust: After the oven is preheated and bread is scored, place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or skillet (I usually use a metal 9×13-inch baking pan) on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3-4 cups of boiling water into it. Place the scored dough/baking pan on a higher rack and quickly shut the oven, trapping the steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust.
Place the shaped and scored dough (on the flour/cornmeal dusted pan) in the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Gently tap the loaves—if they sound hollow, the bread is done. For a more accurate test of doneness, the bread is done when an instant read thermometer inserted in the center reads 195°F (90°C).
Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, so this is a wonderful recipe to begin ahead of time. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Complete the recipe through step 3. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 4 and the rest of the recipe instructions.
Flour: For absolute best flavor and chewy texture, I strongly recommend using bread flour. You can use a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose flour in a pinch with no other changes to the recipe. I recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough. If necessary, use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour. The bread will taste dense.
Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast, but I highly recommend an instant (aka “rapid rise” or “quick rise” yeast). The bread will rise faster. I usually use Platinum yeast by Red Star, which is an instant yeast. 2 teaspoons is a little less than 1 standard packet. If using active dry yeast, there are no changes needed to the recipe. The rise time in step 2 may take longer.
Salt: Use a coarse salt, such as coarse sea salt, in this bread. I find the flavor slightly lacking when using regular table fine salt. If you only have fine salt, reduce to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons.
Water: Use cool water. 70°F (21°C) is great, but the exact temperature doesn’t matter as long as it’s not hot or warm.
Round Loaf: If you want to shape the dough into a boule (round loaf) simply shape into a round ball instead of 2 loaves in step 4. Baking instructions are the same, but the loaf will take a few extra minutes in the oven. If you want to bake the boule in a dutch oven, see next note.
Using a Dutch Oven: Follow this dough recipe through step 3, then follow the simple shaping/baking instructions (steps 2-5) in my Cranberry Nut No Knead Bread recipe including using the parchment paper. If your parchment paper can’t withstand heat this high, you can either lower the oven temperature and bake the bread for longer or grease the Dutch oven instead.
Using a pizza stone: If you want to bake your bread loaves on a pizza stone, place pizza stone in the preheating oven. In step 8, place the shaped and scored dough on your preheated pizza stone. If the bottom of the shaped dough is pretty sticky, dust the hot pizza stone with some extra cornmeal. Bake as directed.
No Nonstick Pan: If you don’t have a nonstick baking sheet, line it with parchment paper instead. Coat with a dusting of flour and/or cornmeal before placing the dough on top. Parchment paper can burn, so it’s best to check the box to see how much heat yours can tolerate. Lower your oven heat if necessary and bake the bread for longer until golden brown and when gently tapped, sound hollow.
Flavor ideas: Before pouring in the water in step 1, add any of the following ingredients/combination of ingredients to the dry ingredients in the bowl: 4 cloves minced garlic + 3 Tablespoons chopped rosemary, 3 Tablespoons your favorite fresh herb (chopped), 1 cup your favorite shredded cheese, a diced jalapeño, 3/4 – 1 cup dried cranberries and/or chopped nuts, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, etc.
Dough hydration is one of those topics that seems straightforward at first glance, but quickly reveals itself to be one of the most nuanced aspects of sourdough bread baking. I’ve spent countless mornings at my kitchen counter, hands deep in dough, learning that hydration isn’t just a number in a recipe. It’s a conversation between you and your dough, one that changes with the weather, the flour (most important!), and even the humidity in your kitchen.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything I’ve learned about hydration over years of baking, from the science behind the numbers to practical tips for adjusting on the fly. Whether you’re struggling with sticky dough that clings to everything or wondering why your loaf came out dense and tight, understanding hydration is often the key to unlocking your best bread. I talk about dough hydration quite a bit in my sourdough bread book, and this guide expands on this important topic.
What Is Dough Hydration?
Dough hydration represents the total amount of water in your recipe expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight. Hydration is calculated using a simple formula: divide the weight of the water by the total weight of the flour, then multiply by 100.
See My Other Sourdough Recipes
For example, if your recipe calls for 1,000 grams of flour and 700 grams of water, your hydration is 70% (700 ÷ 1,000 × 100 = 70%). This percentage gives us bakers an intuitive way to understand what to expect from their dough before mixing.
Here’s the thing I wish someone had told me when I started baking over a decade ago: a dough’s hydration percentage is a guideline, not a rule. Flour is not a static ingredient. It changes from type to type, mill to mill, and even bag to bag.
A dough’s hydration percentage is a guideline, not a rule.
The weather plays a role, too—though I’ve found it has less impact unless there’s a dramatic shift from day to day (think: dry as a bone to torrential downpour). A dough that is mixed up smooth and elastic on one day might need adjustment the next if it’s raining and extra humid.
Moderately hydrated sourdough with a thicker, more substantial crust.
But, Why Does Hydration Even Matter?
A dough’s hydration percentage significantly affects the characteristics of your final loaf. Think of it this way: water is what transforms a pile of dry flour into a living, breathing dough capable of trapping the gases produced during fermentation. Too little water, and the dough is tight and resistant. Too much, and it becomes a soupy mess that can’t hold its shape.
Between these two extremes exist many different bread styles, from a lower-hydration loaf with a substantial crust and chewy texture to a high-hydration loaf (like My Best Sourdough Bread recipe) with a brittle crust and a custardy interior.
Let’s look at some characteristics of breads near the ends of the extremes (though there are those that go beyond this, too, of course).
Lower-Hydration Bread (60-68%)
When I bake a lower-hydration loaf, I notice:
A slightly thicker, more robust crust
Usually a taller rise and more pronounced oven spring
A crumb that’s more toothsome and structured
Easier handling during shaping
Higher-Hydration Bread (75-85%+)
In contrast, when I push the hydration higher:
The crust tends to be thinner and more brittle
The loaf may have a slightly squatter profile (less vertical rise)
The crumb becomes more tender, almost custard-like
Those beautiful, irregular open holes become more achievable
In general, my sourdough baking tends to lean toward the higher-hydration end of the spectrum. I enjoy a loaf with a very thin crust, a tender crumb, and a melt-in-your-mouth quality that comes from a dough that is sufficiently hydrated and fully fermented. But this is just my preference, and it may not be yours!
When it comes to highly hydrated doughs, keep in mind there is a line that can be crossed: if the water is pushed too high, the resulting loaf will have an excessively soft texture, won’t retain its structure long after baking, and may stale faster (especially without proper storage).
When mixing, I’m always searching for a hydration that’s high enough to achieve the characteristics I’m after, given the flour I’m using, without compromising volume, texture, or eating quality.
So, then, which is better, high-hydration bread or low-hydration bread?
At around 72% hydration, I can mix this dough easily by hand.
So, Is High Hydration Bread Better Than Low Hydration Bread?
Not necessarily. Pushing a dough hydration to stratospheric numbers just for the sake of it (which was—is?—a very common thing out there!) shouldn’t be your end goal. In other words, a higher number doesn’t mean you’re making better bread.
Consider the flour you’re using: is it high-extraction (like Type 85) or more whole-grain? Is it known to absorb and want more water for a better end texture? Then by all means, push the water in the dough higher and assess the final bake. If you find the mouthfeel of the crumb and crust improves, you’re moving in the right direction.
But please, don’t go to 100% hydration because it sounds cool—in the end, we need to eat the loaf, right? And if the bread at 100% hydration has a gummy crumb or collapses after a day of proper storage, you probably went too far.
A Visual Guide to Dough Hydration
One of the most important skills I’ve developed is learning to read my dough rather than blindly following numbers. The hydration percentage isn’t as important as how the dough looks and feels in the mixing bowl. What feels like a wet, soupy dough at 70% hydration with one type of flour might feel stiff when using another flour.
Let’s look at three doughs and their hydration: under-hydrated, just right, and over-hydrated. This dough was a slight variation of my Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Recipe, which is mostly comprised of medium-protein white flour—useful for illustrating hydration levels.
Under-Hydrated
(~62% or less)
Signs your dough needs more water:
The texture is incredibly strong, elastic, and hard to mix
In extreme cases, there may still be flour not completely hydrated
The dough resists stretching and feels “tight”
Solution: Add more water, a splash at a time, until the dough loosens up and feels pliable and workable
Just Right
(~68-75%)
Signs your dough is properly hydrated:
The dough is smooth and extensible, but still shows signs of potential strength and elasticity
It will be glossy and may shred apart when stretched (remember, gluten isn’t fully developed at this stage)
It should not feel “soupy” with puddles of water scattered about
Over-Hydrated
(~75%+)
Signs you’ve added too much water:
The dough is very soupy and falling apart
You can see puddles of water that haven’t been absorbed
Solution: Add more flour to the mixing bowl, a little at a time, until the dough comes back together
Adding Water in Phases (Bassinage)
One technique that transformed my baking is bassinage—also called “double hydration.” Instead of adding all the mixing water up front, I hold some in reserve and add it slowly during the later parts of mixing, after the starches in the flour have started to absorb water and the gluten matrix has begun to develop.
If you’re a reader of this site, you’ll be familiar with this technique, as it’s often illustrated in one of my formulas with two waters: Water 1 and Water 2 (the bassinage water).
This approach has several benefits:
1. It Makes Gluten Development Easier
If all the water is added at the beginning, especially with higher-hydration recipes, it can be incredibly difficult to efficiently strengthen the dough. When water content becomes too high before any gluten is developed, it’s hard to get enough friction to further develop the gluten network.
By adding most of the water first (usually 80-90% of the total), mixing until the dough shows signs of development, and then slowly adding the remainder, you can push hydration higher without excessively long mix times or running the risk of under-developing the dough.
2. It Gives You a Chance to Judge Dough Strength
Holding back water during mixing gives you a chance to assess the dough’s strength near the end and decide if that reserved water should be added or omitted. This is why many of my recipes include “Water 1” (for the levain and autolyse) and “Water 2” (a smaller amount reserved for the final mix used to adjust dough consistency).
A practical tip: If your dough feels incredibly wet, slack, and sloppy after adding Water 1, don’t add the reserved water at all. If the dough feels strong and like it can handle more, add Water 2 slowly while mixing.
This sourdough bread made with a high percentage of high-extraction flour required a high dough hydration to get a tender and custard-like interior.
Factors That Affect How Much Water Your Dough Needs
Flour Type and Protein Content
Higher-protein flours (12-14% protein, like “bread flour”) can generally absorb more water than lower-protein flours, and often need that extra water to avoid an overly gummy texture. The protein forms gluten, which creates a stronger network capable of holding more water. This is why American bread flour, which tends to be higher in protein than flour found elsewhere in the world, often requires increased hydration for the best final texture.
If you live in the UK, South America, Europe, or elsewhere in the world, there’s a high chance your flour has a lower protein percentage and is “softer.” This isn’t a bad thing as these flours can result in a spectacular final bread texture. It means a reduced hydration may be necessary to avoid an overly sticky, unmanageable dough.
Whole Grain Flours
Recipes with higher percentages of whole wheat, rye, or other whole grains require more water because the bran and germ particles absorb significant moisture. When I bake my Fifty-Fifty Sourdough Bread with 50% whole wheat, I push the hydration pretty high to 82%—a level that would be tough to work with if it were 100% white flour.
If you’re working with a recipe that has significant amounts of whole-grain flour, don’t be afraid to really push the dough’s hydration, but be sure to mix in stages using the bassinage technique to safely work the water into the dough.
Freshly Milled Flour
When making sourdough bread with freshly milled flour, I find it typically requires more hydration than with aged flour. Even if the fresh flour has been sifted to remove some or all of the bran and germ, increasing the hydration is necessary to achieve proper dough consistency.
Climate and Environment
I live in arid, high-altitude (which dramatically impacts baking) New Mexico, which means I typically need higher hydration percentages compared to someone living in a lower-altitude, more humid environment. On rainy days, I often find I need to hold back more water because the flour has already absorbed moisture from the air, though while this is typically minimal, it is something to be aware of.
Initial incorporation of the flour and water.
Why Is My Bread Dough Always So Sticky?
Sticky dough is one of the most common frustrations I hear about, and it’s often related to hydration, strength, or both.
Here are the most likely causes:
The dough is overhydrated for your flour. Try reducing the water in the recipe, starting with Water 2 if there is any. In some cases, you might need to omit Water 2 entirely. Again, listen to the dough and adjust as necessary.
The dough isn’t strengthened enough. More mixing time (especially if you’re mixing by hand) or additional stretches and folds during bulk fermentation can help.
You’re not working quickly and confidently. The more you handle sticky dough, the stickier it gets. This is more important when working with a high-hydration dough recipe. Move with purpose.
The dough is overfermented. An overproofed dough becomes slack and sticky. Watch your timing and temperatures.
Tips for Working with High-Hydration Doughs
As you increase the dough’s hydration, its stability decreases. Increasing water is like pushing the gluten matrix—the dough’s scaffolding—to its limit. Here’s what I’ve learned about managing high-hydration doughs:
Tighter shaping is essential. Because high-hydration doughs naturally spread during proofing, they require tighter preshaping and shaping to maintain structure.
Use wet hands, not flour. When dividing, preshaping, and sometimes even shaping sticky dough, keep a bowl of water nearby to wet your hands. This prevents sticking without incorporating raw flour into your dough.
Cold proofing helps. An overnight retard in the refrigerator firms up high-hydration dough, making it much easier to score and handle before baking.
Build strength during bulk fermentation. Additional sets of stretches and folds help high-hydration doughs develop the strength they need to hold their shape.
Requires longer mixing, typically more open crumb, custard-like crumb, challenging to shape
High-hydration loaves
Common Questions About Dough Hydration
Why can’t I just add more flour if my dough is too wet?
I’m often asked this, and the answer comes down to balance. All the ingredients in a bread recipe relate to the total flour weight: salt, levain, and everything is calculated as a percentage of flour using baker’s percentages. If you change the total flour weight, you’ll need to adjust all the other percentages and weights. Adjusting water, on the other hand, only affects hydration in isolation and doesn’t affect the ratios of the rest. Though if I’ve added all the water and the dough is completely falling apart, I will add a little flour as a last resort until it comes together. Record this for next time!
Does higher hydration mean a more open crumb?
Not necessarily! Hydration is just one factor in crumb structure. Proper fermentation, good shaping technique, and appropriate baking all play crucial roles. I’ve seen beautifully open crumbs at 68% hydration and a tight crumb at 80%. Instead, focus on mastering all the fundamentals rather than just pushing water higher.
What hydration should I start with as a beginner?
I recommend starting around 68-70% hydration with a quality bread flour. This gives you a dough that’s forgiving and manageable while still producing a beautiful loaf. As you gain confidence handling dough and understanding what it should look and feel like at each stage, you can gradually increase hydration.
What is the ideal hydration for bread dough?
There really is no ideal hydration; it all depends on the flour you’re using and the final bread characteristics you’re after. Generally, bread doughs are in the 60%-80% hydration range, but they can be outside that range, too.
Final Thoughts
Understanding hydration is really about developing sensitivity—or, as I call it in my cookbook, baker’s intuition. Essentially, you’re learning to see and feel what your dough is telling you, rather than rigidly following numbers. Every bag of flour is slightly different. Every day in your kitchen is slightly different. The bakers I admire most are those who treat recipes as starting points for a conversation with their ingredients.
My advice? Start keeping notes. Record the hydration you used, how the dough felt, what the weather was like, and how the final loaf turned out. Over time, you’ll develop an intuitive understanding of hydration that no guide can fully teach.
Happy baking!
Maurizio Leo
Maurizio Leo is the creator of the independent sourdough baking website The Perfect Loaf. His cookbook, The Perfect Loaf — The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More, is a James Beard Award-winner and a New York Times bestseller. He lives in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife and two sons, where he’s been baking sourdough for over a decade. He’s been labeled “Bob Ross but for bread.”
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My recipe for flavorful and chewy sourdough bagels with a thin and slightly crispy crust. Delicious topped with an everything bagel mix, coarse sea salt, oats, seeds, or anything else you can dream up!
Ingredients
Levain
116g high protein flour
58g water
23g sourdough starter, ripe
Main Dough
848g high protein flour
472g water
29g sugar, caster
29g barley malt syrup
18g salt
7g diastatic malt
197g levain
Instructions
Levain (the night before mixing, 9:30 p.m.)
Mix all the Levain ingredients in a container and leave it at a warm temperature for 12 hours.
Mix (9:30 a.m.)
Add a splash of the mixing water, sugar, barley malt syrup, diastatic malt powder, and salt to a small bowl and mix together. To your stand mixer’s mixing bowl, add the malt syrup slurry, flour, water, and ripe levain. Mix on low speed for approximately 5 minutes until the dough strengthens and begins to smooth. Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover.
Bulk Fermentation (9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.)
Give this dough a single fold after 1 hour and 30 minutes into bulk fermentation.
Divide and Shape (12:45 p.m.)
Use a half baking sheet (so it fits into your refrigerator) to hold the 12 pieces of shaped dough. Spread a thin layer of cornmeal on the half sheet to prevent sticking. Divide the dough into twelve 125g pieces. First, degas the piece by tamping down a bit with your hand. Then, form the piece into a rough rectangle and cinch down from the top, so the dough ends up in a little tube. Roll the tube out to a 12″ long tube. Wrap the dough around the backside of your hand and pinch it together in the front. Roll a few times on the counter to seal. Transfer to the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Repeat for remaining dough pieces.
Proof (1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Cover the baking sheet with a large, reusable plastic bag and seal shut. Let the dough proof at room temperature, around 72-74°F (22-23°C), for 2 hours. The dough should puff up slightly after this time but not excessively. If the dough still feels very dense to the touch, give it another 15-30 minutes and check again. After 2 hours, place the covered baking sheet into the fridge overnight at around 39°F (4°C).
Boil and Top (9:30 a.m., Day Three) Oven prep: Before you begin boiling your bagel dough, preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) with convection or 500°F (260°C) without convection. Place one rack at the bottom third of the oven. Place a baking stone or baking steel on the rack to preheat. Place a roasting pan on the bottom filled with lava rocks to prepare to steam. I also fill a cup of ice and place it next to my oven (I will pour this over the lava rocks to steam the oven). Boiling equipment prep: Fill a wide pot with water and bring to a low boil. Next to your stovetop, place a half baking sheet with a cooling rack inside, this will hold the wet bagels for a minute and allow them to drain. Next, line a full baking sheet with parchment paper — this will hold the dough as it bakes. Finally, grab any toppings you’d like (poppy, oat, everything bagel mix, sesame, etc.) and place them in bowls on your work surface. Boil: Once the water is at a low boil, boil the proofed sourdough bagel dough straight from the fridge, about 40 seconds per side. Using a spider strainer, transfer each piece to the cooling rack inside the baking sheet to drain while you boil the rest of the dough. Then, transfer the boiled bagels to the full baking sheet and top, if desired.
Bake (9:45 a.m.)
Slide the pan with all the bagel dough into the oven and pour the cup of ice over the roasting pan with lava rocks. Quickly close the oven.
Bake at 475°F (245°C) convection (500°F (260°C) without convection) for 10 minutes with steam. After 10 minutes, vent the oven and remove the steaming pan, rotate the baking sheet 180°, and bake for 5 minutes longer. After this 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 450°F (235°C) and bake for 5 minutes longer for a total of 20 minutes. Remove the sheet when the bagels are nicely colored. Let cool 15-20 minutes on a wire rack.
Notes
These are wonderful topped with an Everything Bagel mix, rolled oats, sesame seed mixture, or any other topping you’d like.
Look no further for a creamy and ultra smooth classic cheesecake recipe! Paired with a buttery graham cracker crust, no one can deny its simple decadence. For the best results, bake in a water bath. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full-sheet graham crackers)
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake
32 ounces (904g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoonpure vanilla extract
2 teaspoonsfresh lemon juice (optional, but recommended)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Make the crust: If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar until combined, and then stir in the melted butter. Mixture will be sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour into an ungreased 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and partly up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly (you can use the flat bottom of a small measuring cup to help smooth it out if needed). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and beat until fully combined. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Stop the mixer as soon as the final egg is fully incorporated into the batter; over-mixing can cause the cheesecake to deflate. You will have nearly 6 cups of batter.
Prepare the simple water bath (see Note): (If needed for extra visuals, see How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath; the visual guide and video will assist you in this step.) Boil a kettle/pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. I use an entire kettle of hot water. As the water is heating up, wrap 1 or 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the springform pan—be careful if it’s still warm from baking the crust! Place the wrapped springform pan inside of a large roasting pan. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Use a spatula to smooth it into an even layer. Carefully pour the hot water inside of the pan and place in the oven. (Or you can place the roasting pan in the oven first, then pour the hot water in—whichever is easier for you.)
Bake the cheesecake for 55–70 minutes or until the center is almost set. If you notice the cheesecake browning too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil halfway through baking. When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake should still slightly wobble if you gently tap or shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. With the door ajar, let the cheesecake sit in the oven in the water bath as it cools down for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove from the oven and water bath, discard the foil, and place the springform pan on a cooling rack to cool completely at room temperature. When it has cooled, cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
Run a knife around the edges of the springform pan to help loosen the cheesecake, then remove the outer rim. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip it into warm water between each slice.
Serve cheesecake with desired toppings (see Note). Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: This cheesecake can be made the day before. It has to chill for quite some time before serving. See step 5. Another way to make this cheesecake ahead of time is to freeze it. Cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months. See instructions in blog post above.
Oreo Cookie Crust: Feel free to replace the graham cracker crust with this Oreo cookie crust. Spray bottom of springform pan with nonstick spray, as Oreo cookie crusts tend to stick. Pre-bake the crust, just as you do with the graham cracker crust in step 2 above.
Alternate Water Bath Method: This method works as well, and you don’t have to bake the cheesecake IN water. Boil a kettle or pot of water. You need 1 inch of hot water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. Place the cheesecake on the center oven rack of the preheated oven. Place a large metal baking or roasting pan (do not use glass—I usually use a 9×13-inch baking pan or an extra-large cast iron skillet) on the bottom rack. Pour boiling water into the empty pan, about 1 inch deep. Immediately close oven to trap the steam inside. This unique water bath adds steam to the oven without having the cheesecake sit inside the water itself. No need to wrap the springform pan in foil. See How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath for more information.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring all cold ingredients to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients combine quickly and evenly, so you won’t risk over-mixing. Also, beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake batter, hardly the way you want to begin!
Non-US Readers:Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs (about 2 cups; 13–14 biscuits), 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, and 6 Tablespoons (85g) melted butter. Pre-bake the crust for a bit longer, about 12–14 minutes. And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK for this recipe. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Look no further for a creamy and ultra smooth classic cheesecake recipe! Paired with a buttery graham cracker crust, no one can deny its simple decadence. For the best results, bake in a water bath. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full-sheet graham crackers)
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake
32 ounces (904g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoonpure vanilla extract
2 teaspoonsfresh lemon juice (optional, but recommended)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Make the crust: If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar until combined, and then stir in the melted butter. Mixture will be sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour into an ungreased 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and partly up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly (you can use the flat bottom of a small measuring cup to help smooth it out if needed). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and beat until fully combined. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Stop the mixer as soon as the final egg is fully incorporated into the batter; over-mixing can cause the cheesecake to deflate. You will have nearly 6 cups of batter.
Prepare the simple water bath (see Note): (If needed for extra visuals, see How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath; the visual guide and video will assist you in this step.) Boil a kettle/pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. I use an entire kettle of hot water. As the water is heating up, wrap 1 or 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the springform pan—be careful if it’s still warm from baking the crust! Place the wrapped springform pan inside of a large roasting pan. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Use a spatula to smooth it into an even layer. Carefully pour the hot water inside of the pan and place in the oven. (Or you can place the roasting pan in the oven first, then pour the hot water in—whichever is easier for you.)
Bake the cheesecake for 55–70 minutes or until the center is almost set. If you notice the cheesecake browning too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil halfway through baking. When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake should still slightly wobble if you gently tap or shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. With the door ajar, let the cheesecake sit in the oven in the water bath as it cools down for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove from the oven and water bath, discard the foil, and place the springform pan on a cooling rack to cool completely at room temperature. When it has cooled, cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
Run a knife around the edges of the springform pan to help loosen the cheesecake, then remove the outer rim. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip it into warm water between each slice.
Serve cheesecake with desired toppings (see Note). Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: This cheesecake can be made the day before. It has to chill for quite some time before serving. See step 5. Another way to make this cheesecake ahead of time is to freeze it. Cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months. See instructions in blog post above.
Oreo Cookie Crust: Feel free to replace the graham cracker crust with this Oreo cookie crust. Spray bottom of springform pan with nonstick spray, as Oreo cookie crusts tend to stick. Pre-bake the crust, just as you do with the graham cracker crust in step 2 above.
Alternate Water Bath Method: This method works as well, and you don’t have to bake the cheesecake IN water. Boil a kettle or pot of water. You need 1 inch of hot water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. Place the cheesecake on the center oven rack of the preheated oven. Place a large metal baking or roasting pan (do not use glass—I usually use a 9×13-inch baking pan or an extra-large cast iron skillet) on the bottom rack. Pour boiling water into the empty pan, about 1 inch deep. Immediately close oven to trap the steam inside. This unique water bath adds steam to the oven without having the cheesecake sit inside the water itself. No need to wrap the springform pan in foil. See How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath for more information.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring all cold ingredients to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients combine quickly and evenly, so you won’t risk over-mixing. Also, beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake batter, hardly the way you want to begin!
Non-US Readers:Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs (about 2 cups; 13–14 biscuits), 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, and 6 Tablespoons (85g) melted butter. Pre-bake the crust for a bit longer, about 12–14 minutes. And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK for this recipe. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
This recipe has been *slightly updated* since my team and I originally published it in 2016. These seriously fudgy homemade brownies are thick, dense, and intensely chocolatey thanks to cocoa powder, melted baking chocolate, and chocolate chips. With shiny crackly tops and melt-in-your-mouth centers, this is our go-to brownie recipe.
Ingredients
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, sliced into 12 Tbsp-size pieces
4-ounce (113g) semi-sweet chocolate bar, coarsely chopped and divided*
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 9-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides to lift out the finished brownies (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
In a small microwave-safe bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the butter and half (2oz/56g) of the chopped chocolate. Melt in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. Set aside to slightly cool while you continue.
In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the sugar and eggs. Beat on medium-high speed until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is pale and ribbon-y, about 3 minutes.
Pour the warm melted butter/chocolate into the bowl with the sugar/eggs, add the vanilla, and beat or whisk to combine.
With a fine-mesh sieve, sift the cocoa powder, flour, and salt into the batter, then whisk or beat on low speed to incorporate. Fold in the remaining 2 ounces/57g chopped chocolate and the chocolate chips. The batter will be very thick. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan. (A small offset spatula can help here.)
Bake for 28–30 minutes, then test the brownies with a toothpick. Insert the toothpick into the center of the pan. If it comes out coated with wet batter, the brownies are not done. If there are only a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done. Keep checking every 2 minutes until you have moist crumbs. Brownies typically take 30–32 minutes in my oven. Err on the side of under-baking, as the brownies will continue to set as they cool.
Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely in the pan. When cool, lift the brownies out by gripping the parchment overhangs and transfer to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into squares.
Cover and store leftover brownies at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Brownies freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature before serving.
Chocolate: Baking chocolate is typically sold in 4-ounce (113g) bars. Half will be melted with the butter, and half will be chopped up and folded into the batter with the chocolate chips. I suggest Ghirardelli, Baker’s, or Lindt brands; in either semi-sweet (56% cacao) or bittersweet (60% cacao).
Cocoa Powder: You can use either natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder in this recipe. I prefer Dutch-process (such as this brand) for a smoother chocolate flavor.
Recipe Update in 2026: My team and I made a couple slight updates to this recipe based on reader feedback. To make it the way it was originally written, increase the sugar to 2 cups (400g) and increase the chocolate chips to 1.5 cups (270g). Proceed with steps 1 and 2 in the recipe above. Skip step 3. Then, whisk the 2 cups (400g) sugar into the melted butter and chocolate mixture. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, followed by the remaining ingredients. Spread into a lined 9×13-inch pan and bake for 30-32 minutes.
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 50 reviews
Author:Sally McKenney
Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (includes pie dough chilling)
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Yield: 48-50 mini quiches
Category: Breakfast
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Description
This is a perfect base recipe for mini quiches where you can add your favorite add-ins and flavors. Bake in my super flaky homemade pie crust. Review video tutorial above and read recipe notes below before beginning.
1/2 cup shredded or crumbled cheese (see recipe note)
Instructions
Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin mini quiche. Make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using.
Prep the egg filling: In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment—or simply using a whisk and mixing bowl—beat/whisk the eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper together (on high speed if using a mixer) until completely combined, about 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate egg filling until step 6.
Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Grease two 24-count mini muffin pans. (Nonstick spray is best.) If you only have 1 mini muffin pan, bake these in batches. Roll out first pie dough, fill, and bake then roll out the 2nd pie dough, fill, and bake.
Shape the mini crusts: Working with 1 chilled pie dough at a time, place the dough onto a floured work surface. Roll into a large 12-inch circle. Use your warm hands to mold any cracking edges back together as you see me doing in the video tutorial above. From the circle, cut rounds using a 2.5 inch cookie cutter. (Sometimes I use my 1/3 cup measuring cup, which is 2.5 inches in diameter.) You’ll have to re-roll the dough scraps a few times. Work quickly, as the dough becomes much more delicate the longer it’s at room temperature. You’ll get about 24 rounds per pie crust. Repeat with 2nd chilled pie dough for a total of about 48.
Place the dough rounds into greased 24-count mini muffin pan(s). Press the dough flat into the bottom of the crevice and up the sides.
Evenly pour cold egg filling into each unbaked crust. Top evenly with add-ins, then sprinkle each with cheese.
Bake mini quiches until the center is just about set and edges are lightly browned, about 25-28 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. If greased well, the mini quiches pop right out using a spoon to scoop them up. Serve warm or at room temperature
Mini quiches make great leftovers! Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The pie dough can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze, cool baked mini quiches completely, then layer between sheets of parchment paper in a large freezer-friendly container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter, then bake at 300°F (149°C) for 15 minutes or until warmed.
If using a 12-count standard muffin pan: Cut the pie dough into 3.5 inch circles. Other assembly instructions are the same for a 12-count muffin pan. Bake for about 27-30 minutes until the centers are set and edges are lightly browned. Yields about 16.
Pie Crust & Crustless Option: Both linked pie crust recipes make 2 crusts. You need 2 crusts for this recipe. You can use store-bought pie crust if desired. Make sure it is thawed. For crustless quiches, spray your mini muffin pan or regular size muffin pan with nonstick spray and pour the filling directly into the greased pan. Top with add-ins, then cheese. Bake mini quiches for 16-19 minutes and regular size (in a 12-count pan) for 20-23 minutes.
Whole Milk & Heavy Cream: Use this combination for best taste. If desired, use 1 cup of half-and-half instead. In a pinch, using all milk (whole milk, lower fat milk, or unflavored nondairy milk) works just fine.
Add-Ins: You need about 3/4 cup add-ins including vegetables and meat/seafood. Most quiche add-ins should be pre-cooked and can still be warm when adding on top of each quiche. See blog post for my favorite add-ins. No need to pre-cook or sauté add-ins like mushrooms or bell peppers unless you want to.
Cheese: Some favorites include feta cheese, goat cheese, white cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, and gruyere.
With its super-moist and buttery texture, banana and brown sugar flavors, soft crumb, and 1,000+ reviews, this is a delicious AND undeniably popular banana bread recipe. You need 4 large ripe bananas. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
optional: 3/4 cup (90g) chopped pecans or walnuts, or 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much, too soon. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the yogurt, vanilla, and mashed bananas until combined.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined. Do not over-mix. Fold in the nuts/chocolate chips, if using. The batter should be thick.
Pour and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil halfway through, to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. Cool the bread in the pan set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Remove the bread from the pan and cool it directly on the rack until ready to slice and serve.
Store wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Update in 2025: With enough reader feedback stating the bread can often be too moist and dense, and therefore not bake properly, my team and I retested the bread multiple times over the past 2 years; we slightly reduced the amount of mashed bananas from 2 cups to 1 and 1/2 cups.
Butter: If needed, you can use salted butter in this recipe with no other changes needed. I’ve also successfully reduced the butter down to 6 Tablespoons (85g) with no issue (just as tasty).
Brown Sugar: This is not an overly sweet quick bread. If you want a sweeter banana bread, increase to 1 cup (200g) brown sugar. Feel free to replace some or all of the brown sugar with regular white granulated sugar.
Cream Cheese Frosting: This banana bread also tastes fantastic with cream cheese frosting on top! To make it, beat 4 ounces (112g) of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup (60g) of softened unsalted butter together on medium speed until smooth. Beat in 1 cup (120g) of confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until combined. Spread on cooled loaf.
Banana Bread Muffins: Use this banana bread recipe to make 15 banana bread muffins. Spoon the batter into a lined or greased muffin pan (fill each to the top with batter) and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total bake time for the banana bread muffins is about 21–23 minutes. The initial burst of hot air helps those muffins rise nice and tall! Or try my quick & easy banana muffins.
Brown Sugar: Feel free to substitute the same amount of regular white granulated sugar or coconut sugar. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners.
No Sour Cream or Yogurt? Feel free to use 1/3 cup mashed banana (in addition to what is called for in the recipe), unsweetened applesauce, or even canned pumpkin puree.
Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. Try not to mash too much or else you’ll be left with banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
Chocolate Chips: I love this bread with chocolate chips, too. Feel free to add 1 cup of your favorite chocolate chips. No need to leave out the nuts if you add the chocolate chips. Chocolate chips and nuts are both optional.
Can I Turn This Into Banana Bundt Cake? There isn’t enough batter. I recommend using my extremely similar, scaled-up recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake instead. You can leave out the chocolate swirl in that recipe.
Follow these basic instructions for a thick, crisp, and chewy pizza crust at home. The recipe yields enough pizza dough for two 12-inch pizzas and you can freeze half of the dough for later. Close to 2 pounds of dough total. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Dough
1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (about 110°F/43°C)
1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)*
3 and 1/2 to 4 cups (438–500g) unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
2 Tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 teaspoonsalt
sprinkle of cornmeal, for dusting the pan
Toppings (halve these amounts if making just 1 pizza)
extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
2garlic cloves, minced (optional)
1 cup (250g) store-bought pizza sauce
4 cups (1lb/454g) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Whisk the warm water, granulated sugar, and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.
Add the flour, olive oil, and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray—just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60–90 minutes or until double in size. (Tip: For the warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it’s doubled in size, remove from the oven.)
Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C). Allow it to heat for at least 15–20 minutes as you shape the pizza. (If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well.) Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray or olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor.
Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. (If not making 2 pizzas, freeze half of the dough for another time. See freezing instructions below.) On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you try to stretch it, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly for 5–10 minutes, then try again. Once shaped into a 12-inch circle, lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. I simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on baker’s peels dusted with cornmeal.
Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, press dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Lightly brush olive oil over the top of the crust. Sprinkle with minced garlic (if using), then spread on 1/2 cup (125g) pizza sauce, and top with 2 cups (227g) shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with any additional toppings of your choice and bake for 13–15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Freezing Instructions: This recipe yields enough dough for two 12-inch pizzas, a little less than 2 pounds (900g) total. After the pizza dough rises and you divide the dough in half (step 5), you can freeze one of the balls of dough to make pizza at a later time. Or you can simply freeze both balls of dough separately. Lightly coat all sides of the dough ball(s) with nonstick spray or olive oil. Place the dough ball(s) into individual zipped-top bag(s) and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight. When ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 1 hour on the counter. Preheat the oven and continue with step 5, punching down the dough to release air if needed.
Overnight/All Day Instructions: Prepare the dough through step 3, but allow the dough to rise for 8–12 hours in the refrigerator. (If it needs to be in the refrigerator for longer, use cooler water (about 70°F/21°C) in the dough, which will slow the dough’s rise and allow for more time.) The slow rise gives the pizza dough wonderful flavor! When ready, continue with step 4. If the dough didn’t quite double in size overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes before punching down (step 5).
Yeast: Red Star Platinum yeast is an instant yeast. You can use active dry yeast instead. The rise time will be at least 90 minutes. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Pictured Pizza: This recipe yields 2 pizzas. For each, top with 1/2 cup pizza sauce, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, thinly sliced green pepper or jalapeño, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning blend or dried basil.
These easy cinnamon rolls are perfect for yeast beginners because they only require 1 rise. You have a few options for toppings. The recipe below includes a simple cream cheese icing, but we also love these with the coffee icing or vanilla icing that’s included in the recipe Notes below.
Ingredients
Dough
2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoonsalt
3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter
2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star or any instant yeast (1 standard packet)
1 large egg, at room temperature
Filling
3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, extra softened
1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoonground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
4 ounces (113g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine the milk and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 110°F/43°C, no higher). Whisk in the yeast until it has dissolved. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir with a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon OR use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix until a soft dough forms.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. You should have a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is super soft or sticky, you can add a little more flour. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I use non-stick spray), cover loosely, and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes as you get the filling ingredients ready.
Fill the rolls: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8-inch (36×20-cm) rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough to make a 14-inch log. Cut into 10–12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round cake pan, pie dish, or square baking pan.
Rise: Cover the pan with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise in a relatively warm environment for 60–90 minutes or until double in size. (For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
Bake the rolls: After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 24–27 minutes, or until lightly browned. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking. If you want to be precise about their doneness, their internal temperature taken with an instant read thermometer should be around 195–200°F (91–93°C) when done. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack as you make the icing. (You can also make the icing as the rolls bake.)
Make the icing: In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the butter and beat until smooth and combined, then beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until combined. Using a knife or icing spatula, spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.
Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: This dough can be made the night before through step 4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Continue with step 6.
Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: You can freeze the rolls for up to 3 months, and I recommend a few different methods. The first method is to freeze them after shaping, before they rise (before step 5). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let rise for 1.5–2 hours at room temperature before baking. The second method is to par-bake the risen rolls for 10 minutes, let cool completely, then cover and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Finish baking at 375°F (190°C) for around 15 minutes. You can also freeze fully baked rolls. See How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls for more details about all of these methods.
Yeast: I highly recommend instant yeast. If you only have active dry yeast, you can use that instead. Active dry and instant yeast can be used interchangeably in recipes (1:1). Active dry yeast has a moderate rate of rising and instant dry yeast has a faster rate of rising; active dry yeast will take longer to raise the dough.
Milk: This recipe used to call for 1/2 cup (120ml) milk and 1/4 cup (60ml) water. The rolls taste much richer using all milk, and that is what I recommend. Whole milk or even buttermilk are ideal for this dough. If needed, you can substitute 3/4 cup (180ml) lower-fat or nondairy milk.
Coffee Icing (or Vanilla Icing): Whisk 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 2–3 Tablespoons (30–45ml) strong brewed coffee together until smooth. Or swap milk for coffee for regular vanilla icing. Drizzle over warm rolls.
These banana muffins are soft, buttery, and spiced with cinnamon. They’re wonderful plain, but taste fantastic with 1 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips. You need 3 ripe bananas and a handful of basic kitchen ingredients.
2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar (or coconut sugar)*
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoonpure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk*
optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mash the bananas. On medium speed, beat or whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then beat or whisk until combined. If adding nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now. Batter will be thick.
Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–23 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake 12–14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C).) Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to continue cooling.
Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: For longer storage, freeze muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired.
Why the initial high temperature? The hot burst of air will spring up the top of the muffin quickly, then the inside of the muffin can bake for the remainder of the time. This helps the muffins rise nice and tall.
Whole Wheat Flour: Feel free to substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour or use a mix of both as long as you use 1 and 1/2 cups total. If using all whole wheat flour, add another Tablespoon (15ml) of milk.
Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
Sugar: You can use 2/3 cup of packed brown sugar or coconut sugar. Or a mixture of these to yield 2/3 cup. If using 2/3 cup coconut sugar, the muffins won’t be as sweet. I find they taste best with 2/3 cup brown sugar or 1/3 cup of each. 2/3 cup of honey or pure maple syrup works too, though the muffins will taste a little more moist in the centers. I’m unsure about sugar substitutes, but let me know if you try any.
Milk: Use your favorite variety of dairy or nondairy milk.
This is one of the easiest ways to prepare homemade soft pretzels for beginners, and the results are extra delicious! The dough is a family recipe and only needs to rest for 10 to 30 minutes before shaping. The quick baking soda boil gives the pretzels their traditional flavor, and I do not recommend skipping it. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast(1 standard packet)
1 Tablespoonbrown sugar or granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (around 100°F/38°C)
1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoonsalt
3 and 3/4–4 cups (469–500g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
coarse salt, for topping
Baking Soda Bath (See Recipe Note)
1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
9 cups (2.13L) water
Instructions
Whisk the yeast and sugar into warm water. Cover and allow to sit for 1 minute.
Whisk in the melted butter and salt. Add 3 cups (375g) of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attachment if using a stand mixer) until combined. Add 3/4 cup (94g) more flour until the dough is slightly tacky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more (31g) flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger—if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 to 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 to 5 minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 to 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 8.)
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 75g sections, which is about 1/3 cup of dough each.
Roll the dough into a 20–22-inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the 2 ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.
Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1–2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20–30 seconds. Any longer than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, cover the boiled, unbaked pretzels with lightly oiled plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking (step 9).
Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels with coarse salt. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until dark golden brown.
Cover and store leftover pretzels at room temperature for up to 3 days. See Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions in recipe Notes below for more storage info. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds, or bake at 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.
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Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: If planning to freeze fully baked pretzels, do not top them with coarse salt before baking. Cool completely, then freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, brush frozen pretzels (no need to thaw) with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until warmed through, or microwave frozen pretzels until warm. The prepared pretzel dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for 2–3 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated dough can be shaped into pretzels while still cold, but allow some extra time, about 1 hour, for the pretzels to puff up at room temperature before continuing with the baking soda bath and baking. You can also freeze the boiled, unbaked pretzels and here’s how: after boiling the pretzels in step 8, place them on a lightly greased parchment paper- or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Freeze the pretzels for about 1 hour, then transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag (squeeze out as much air as possible from the bag before sealing) and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, brush frozen pretzels (no need to thaw) with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake at 400°F (204°C) for 15–20 minutes or until dark golden brown.
Baking Soda Bath (Step 8): The baking soda bath is strongly recommended because it helps create that chewy texture and distinctive pretzel flavor. If skipping, brush the shaped and unbaked pretzels with a mixture of 1 beaten egg + 1 Tablespoon of dairy or nondairy milk. This is known as an egg wash. Sprinkle the brushed pretzels with salt. The egg wash will help the salt stick. If you don’t have an egg, simply brush with 2 Tablespoons of dairy or nondairy milk.
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels: Skip the coarse salt topping (and skip the egg wash, see note above, if you aren’t doing the baking soda bath step). Bake as directed in step 9. Meanwhile, melt 4 Tablespoons (56g) of unsalted or salted butter. Brush the baked and warm pretzels with melted butter, then dip the tops into a mix of cinnamon and sugar. I usually use 3/4 cup (150g) of granulated sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Cinnamon-sugar pretzels taste best the day they’re made because the melted butter topping causes them to become soggy after a few hours.
Soft and chewy with that trademark homemade flavor, these are the best soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Your family will love these easy oatmeal raisin cookies!
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the eggs and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix on high until combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Beat in the oats, raisins, and walnuts (if using) on low speed. Dough will be thick, yet very sticky. Chill the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator (do the full hour if you’re afraid of the cookies spreading too much). If chilling for longer (up to 2 days), allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Roll balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. I recommend using a cookie scoop since the dough can be sticky. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft and under-baked. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to “set” on the baking sheet during this time.
Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Baked cookies freeze well—up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well—up to three months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough.
Recipes
ROASTED CORN
Cut off 3 cobs
Squeeze off juice
Add 2 TBL mayo
2 TBL sour cream
2 TBL Cotija cheese
Salt
Chipotle chili powder
Zest and juice from one lime
Served room temperature or microwaved
Serve with chips

HARD BOILED DEVILED EGGS
Put 6 Cold eggs into pot of cold water
Put on a oven on high
As soon as it starts a rolling boil, put into ice cubes and turn it down to medium low
Let boil for 10 minutes, Stirring the eggs gently at three, six and eight minutes to Free center the yolks
Remove eggs and put in the icewater for 3 minutes
Peel while still barely warm under running water
Cut in half and separate the white from the yolks
If you have one, put the yolks through a potato ricer. Otherwise, just crush them up with a fork.
Add 2 tablespoons miracle whip or mayo
Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt
Add 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Use dry mustard if the filling seems a little wet.
Mix all together
Add toppings
See list of possibilities
CHARLESTON CHEWY
One stick melted butter
One cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
One egg
Three-quarter cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Sift together
Add wet ingredients to the dry
If desired mix in one half cup chopped pecans
Pour into buttered baking dish
Smooth as flat as possible
Put into oven preheated at 350°
Bake for 20 minutes
Let cool before cutting.
Optional: get a recipe for a hard chocolate topping
Green sauce.s%z5
One poblano
One Anaheim
Three tomatillos
Two serranos
Three jalapeños
Bake at 450° for 35 minutes
Add One bunch of cilantro chopped
One bunch of green onions chopped
Avocado
Lime
Vinegar
Purée into sauce
FRENCH ONION SOUP
Play save a Dahlia onion into 1/4 inch strips
Cook at low heat with 1/2 stick butter and a sprinkle of salt
Cover and Simmer for 1 1/2 hours
Stir occasionally
Add 1/2 cup of marsala wine or sweet wine
Add 2 cups chicken stock
Add 2 cups of beef broth
Slice low moisture part skim mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices
Cut Italian bread or Baguette isto thick slices, butter, and put under broiler until brown.
Spoon soup into tureens and place on baking sheet
Put mozzarella on top of toasted bread
Top with grated Gruyère
Return to broiler until cheese is brown and bubbly
