Classic Baguettes

The ingredients in baguettes are pure simplicity: flour, water, salt, and yeast. It's the baker's technique that turns an average baguette into an all-star. Don't expect perfection the first time out, but the more you practice your baguette-baking techniques, the better the baguette you'll make.

• 1/2 cup (113g) water, cool
• 1/16 teaspoon (a pinch) active dry yeast or instant yeast*
• 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*

* Substitute 1 tablespoon (25g) of healthy sourdough starter (fed or unfed) for the yeast, if desired.

Boston Brown Bread

And you thought it only came out of a can, right? Boston brown bread is actually a mixture of rye and wheat flour and cornmeal, sweetened with molasses, moistened with buttermilk, and steamed in a steamer for hours atop the stove. Follow this traditional approach, or bake the bread in the oven. The results are remarkably similar — peel off the foil to reveal a moist, delicious brown bread!

• 3/4 cup (78g) King Arthur Organic Pumpernickel Flour
• 3/4 cup (106g) yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup (85g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (106g) currants or raisins

Irish Soda Bread

The version we print here is much closer to traditional Irish bread than to its American cousin; but the addition of some bread flour, an egg, butter, a bit of sugar, and some currants serve to lighten and tenderize this loaf just enough to make it especially enticing to most of us on this side of the ocean.

• 2 1/2 cups (276g) King Arthur Irish-Style Flour
• 1 1/4 cups (150g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
• 3 tablespoons (37g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup (95g) currants or 2/3 cup (99g) raisins

Sandwich Rye Bread

This easy-to-slice rye bread (no crumbling!) is perfect for sandwiches: pastrami, corned beef, a Reuben, or just plain grilled Swiss. It also makes tasty toast, a nice accompaniment to scrambled eggs. Its secret ingredient is dill pickle juice, which gives the bread a delightful tang and contributes to its moist texture.

• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
• 2/3 to 7/8 cup (152g to 198g) water, lukewarm*
• 1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup (170g) dill pickle juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

English Muffins

Make your own English muffins — why not? While it does take a bit of time to slowly dry-fry these muffins in order to give them their signature crisp crust and moist interior, the process isn't difficult. And the result is out of this world...

• 1 3/4 cups (397g) milk, lukewarm
• 3 tablespoons (43g) butter, softened
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 4 1/2 cups (540g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour