by Susan Thomas

It may be a cliché, but there really is nothing that compares to the smell of baking bread. I bake all year round, but there’s something about winter that truly feels like bread season. Maybe it’s all those thick soups and hearty stews and slow roasted Dutch oven dinners crying out to be sopped up with something. Or the blast of deliciously warm air that hits my half-frozen body as I stagger into the kitchen clutching another load of firewood destined for the woodstove.

Whatever the reason, the wonderful thing about homemade bread is that there are literally thousands of different kinds you can make. So whether you’re holed up during a Saturday snowstorm or just blew in from a long day at work, there’s a bread recipe perfectly suited for you and your schedule.

Quick breads–such as biscuits, scones, and cornbread - are leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda, while yeast breads are made with, well, yeast. Neither type is particularly difficult to make, but you need to keep two things in mind: baking powder for quick breads must be fresh (if your container has been open more than a few months, toss it out and buy a new one) and yeast breads do take time, though most of it isn’t hands-on. Other than that, there’s practically nothing to it. So what are you waiting for? Settle in, cozy up, and enjoy some freshly baked bread.

If you’ve never baked a loaf of anything in your life, then my recipe for beer bread is where you should start. Five minutes of work and you’re rewarded with a heavenly aroma wafting through the house and a warm, crusty loaf in under an hour. There’s no limit when it comes to flavor variations; try cheddar dill, rosemary feta, onion rye, or even whole wheat. Or check the comments section of the recipe post to see what kind of yummy flavors of beer bread others have made.

A scrumptious scone that contains no butter or cream? You bet. These versatile savory cheese & scallion scones are made with cream cheese instead. For a satisfying breakfast on the run, light lunch, or terrific after-school snack, split and toast, then spread with cream cheese and thinly sliced ham or turkey.

There’s cornbread, and then there’s Southern style cornbread packed with cheese, onions, and whole corn, and flavored with bacon drippings. Tasty on its own as a snack, this lip-smacking stuff from Elise at Simply Recipes also goes great with black bean soup, a bowl of your favorite chili, or a platter of braised turkey legs.

Drizzled with honey, slathered with butter and jam, smothered with sausage gravy - Any way and any time of day is my philosophy when it comes to homemade biscuits. A snap to make - and a perfect project for kids - the key to flaky biscuit perfection lies in your technique. This time tested recipe from kitchenMage includes numerous tips, as well as an extremely helpful biscuit making photo set.

I fell in love at first bite with these beautiful Parisian Daily Baguettes from Daniel Leader’s new book, Local Breads. They’re easy to make, go with just about everything, are done in under four hours, and are totally non-threatening to yeast bread beginners.

Stephen at Stephen Cooks warned me that focaccia purists may scoff at his crowd-pleasing, quick version of rosemary focaccia - which is mixed in the food processor and shaves hours off the traditional resting times - but I doubt you’ll hear any complaints. I couldn’t stop eating it. He offers several variations of the easy recipe, too, including tomato-onion with oregano or basil and fresh garlic with Parmeggiano Reggiano.

All it takes to go from basic burger to superstar status is a homemade bun. Treat your burgers to these 100% whole wheat beauties from Nic at Baking Bites, or divide the dough into smaller pieces and shape them into healthy dinner rolls. (Brush the tops with melted butter or an egg wash just before putting them in the oven, and reduce the baking time a little.) Like most breads, buns and rolls freeze beautifully, which means you can always have some on hand.

I’m a sucker for a good sourdough onion rye, but my version takes upwards of 20 hours from start to finish. This onion rye bread from Cooking Light, which uses yogurt instead of sourdough starter, is ready in well under four. It also makes amazing grilled cheese sandwiches.

Still hungry? You can search for hundreds of other bread recipes on FoodieView.

Susan shares recipes, photos, and stories about her crazy country life on 240 remote acres at her award winning blog, Farmgirl Fare, where lately she’s been tossing fresh herbs into all of her homemade breads, including Italian Rosemary Raisin Rounds, Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough, and Carrot Herb Rolls.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 at 6:08 pm and is filed under Recipe Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.