Chocolate Doughnut Muffins

Chocolate Doughnut Muffins

These supersoft, pillowy chocolate muffins are reminiscent of your favorite chocolate doughnut, but with no fussy frying necessary. Packed with sour cream and just a drop of oil, they stay moist and delicious for days. They come together quickly in one bowl, so you can mix them up for a morning treat or afternoon snack without much effort. The cinnamon-sugar coating gives them a crunchy and lightly spiced exterior, which is a pleasing contrast to their soft centers, but they are just as tasty with a heavy dusting of confectioners’ sugar instead.

Yield: 12 muffins

½ cup plus 4 tablespoons/170 grams unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing

2 large eggs

1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar

1 cup/220 grams sour cream

1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus a pinch

½ cup/45 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup/128 grams all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees with a rack set in the center. Generously butter a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and ¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar and whisk until well combined.

Add the sour cream, ½ cup/113 grams butter, the oil, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt; whisk until well combined.

Whisk in the cocoa powder, followed by the baking powder and the baking soda. Then use a flexible spatula to fold in the flour by gently scooping up some batter from the bottom and folding it over the flour on the top. Rotate the bowl and repeat until just incorporated.

Divide the mixture among the 12 wells and bake until the muffins are puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 18 to 23 minutes.

In a shallow bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer them to a rack. Working with one warm muffin at a time, brush it with some remaining melted butter then toss in the cinnamon sugar; repeat with remaining muffins.

Serve immediately. Store any extras in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. (The sugar will gradually melt into the muffins as they sit, but you can reroll the muffins in cinnamon sugar, if desired.)

TIP: I didn’t have enough sour cream and I really wanted to make them, so I used a scant 1/2 cup sour cream plus approximately 1/4 cup each Greek yogurt and ricotta. They came out perfectly. Next time I’ll try with all Greek yogurt.

I’m gonna ditch the nutmeg and add in a bit of instant coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor. Maybe douse with a glaze!

Three people sent me this recipe and asked me to make them! Considering how easy they are, it was a pleasure.

I made these as mini muffins, doughnut holes, and mini doughnuts. All successful.

Few hints: King Arthur Double Dark Chocolate had the best flavor. Heat and brush melted butter on the pans first to make a crisper crust. I toss baked items in a bag of cinnamon sugar to completely cover. Great glazed with chocolate, others with a simple sugar glaze. One tsp of nutmeg was fine. A keeper!

I made these tonight for a last-minute dinner thing and they are terrific-tender, fluffy and spicy! They came together in no time and everyone-including my neighbor’s 18-month-old granddaughter-loved them. I made mini-muffins (with the cups filled to the top of the well) and baked them for 15 minutes. I got 2 dozen muffins. I used a good teaspoon of nutmeg and might have used more except my hand got tired of grating! The nutmeg is not overpowering & the cinnamon-nutmeg combo really rocks.

Dan Dan Noodles

Dan Dan Noodles

A specialty from Sichuan, a province in the southwest of China, vendors once balanced baskets of noodles and sauce on their shoulder poles and cried out “dan dan mian!” to hawk their wares. Dan dan refers to those bamboo shoulder poles and mian means noodles, but there’s no one way to prepare them. Nowadays in the Western diaspora, the dish is associated with a few essentials, namely chile oil and sesame paste, but another is worth adding: preserved vegetables. Salty and a little sweet with the sour oomph of fermentation, pickled mustard greens give the soothing noodles an umami zing. These noodles are especially rich with sesame, but you can adjust all of the seasonings to your taste. Toasty and salty, tangy on the cliff of funk, chewy with pops of peanut, dan dan noodles are a bowl of contentment.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

FOR THE SAUCE

¼ cup well-stirred Chinese sesame paste or tahini (see Tips)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 to 2 tablespoons chile crisp, preferably Sichuanese, plus more for serving

2 to 3 teaspoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar or balsamic vinegar

FOR THE MEAT

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup ya cai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens) or other finely chopped Chinese pickled or preserved mustard vegetables (see Tips)

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

8 ounces ground pork

1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or other rice wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons tian mian jiang (sweet wheat sauce) or hoisin

FOR THE NOODLES

1 pound fresh Chinese wheat noodles (see Tips)

8 to 12 bok choy or gai lan (Chinese broccoli), optional

Chopped roasted, salted peanuts, ground Sichuan peppercorns and finely sliced scallions, for topping

Start the sauce: Set a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, mix the sesame paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile crisp, brown sugar and vinegar in a large bowl. The mixture will be thick. Taste and add more chile oil or brown sugar (or other seasonings) to your liking.

Make the meat: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large, deep skillet over high. Add the ya cai and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape half into the sauce bowl. Add the remaining oil to the wok. When it’s hot, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pork and cook, smashing it into the vegetables and stirring to break it into tiny bits. When its pinkness fades after a few minutes, add the wine, soy sauce and tian mian jiang, and stir until the pork is cooked through. Keep warm over low.

Finish the sauce: Scoop ¼ cup boiling water from the pot and add to the sauce. Stir until smooth. The sauce should run off the spoon. If it doesn’t, add more boiling water a tablespoon at a time.

Make the noodles: Drop the noodles into the pot of boiling water, stir and cook until there’s still a bite in the center, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bok choy and cook until bright green and the noodles are just tender, about 1 minute longer. Drain and run under hot tap water to rinse excess starch off the noodles.

Slide the noodles and bok choy over the sauce, scrape the pork and its sauce on top, then sprinkle with peanuts and scallions if you want. Top with more chile crisp if you’d like. Mix well and enjoy immediately.

Tips: Chinese sesame paste has a deep toasted flavor. If using tahini, try to find one made with roasted sesame seeds, such as Joyva. If using tahini ground from raw sesame seeds, add another tablespoon toasted sesame oil.

Sichuan preserved mustard greens, known broadly as ya cai or more specifically as Yibin ya cai for the region from which it comes, come in small foil packets or jars. The dark brown bits of preserved vegetables start as strips of Sichuanese mustard green stems, which are then dried, salted and fermented with a sugar syrup and spices. They end up savory, a little sweet and pleasantly funky. There’s no great substitute, but other varieties of Chinese pickled or preserved mustard greens, such as sui mi ya cai, work. In a Western pantry, a combination of finely chopped capers and finely diced fermented bread-and-butter pickles comes closest.

If you don’t have fresh Chinese wheat noodles, you can use 12 ounces dried lo mein noodles, thin spaghetti or ramen and cook according to the package directions before draining and rinsing.

Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta

Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta

Like a cross between baked ziti and sausage lasagna, this mozzarella-topped pasta is rich with ricotta and crushed tomatoes — and cooks entirely in one pan, including the pasta. The Italian sausage adds meaty depth to the sauce, but vegetarians can leave it out or use their favorite plant-based sausage instead.

Yield: 4 servings

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ pound bulk hot or mild Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed

Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices

1 (14-ounce) can crushed or strained tomatoes

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt

12 ounces dried pasta, such as small shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces

6 ounces whole-milk ricotta (about ¾ cup)

⅓ cup grated Parmesan

¼ cup basil leaves

Black pepper, for serving

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.

Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you’d like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

TIP: Rather than put four ounces of unused sausage in the freezer and four ounces of unused pasta in the pantry, we used the full pound of each, upped the measures of strained tomatoes, fennel and oregano by a third, and added a half cup of red wine. Turned out perfectly. We’ll put this one in rotation. The fennel and the fresh basil really take it up a level.

This recipe was a big hit with everyone from the picky kids to the grandparents in attendance that night. I loved the ricotta addition. Whole San Marzano tomatoes are a must. I used orecchiette pasta and it was perfect.

Slipped in about a TB of anchovy paste and subbed green lentils (1 cup) for pasta to make it gluten free. This was great!

Jean: Sub ground turkey with seasoning for sausage, cottage cheese for ricotta, Rao's jar sauce for tomatoes then reduced the salt according to taste.

This was a delicious way to get the flavors of lasagna without the fuss. Here are a few notes:

* I recommend putting some of the basil into the sauce while simmering so that the flavor gets distributed.

* This recipe doesn’t afford enough simmer time to let the whole tomatoes break down. I would recommend giving them a chop first, or snip,with scissors while in the pan.

* For those who had issues with the pasta not cooking, simply use a smaller walled pasta. I used macaroni and it was fine.

To use a full 16oz box of pasta, two 28oz cans whole tomatoes is perfect, skip the crushed, little bit of extra herbs and garlic, and dear god only 1 teaspoon of salt. Deglazing pan after sausage with 1/2c red wine adds excellent flavor. And best way to get the tomatoes broken down to the perfect size? Old school potato masher.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

If you are the proud owner of a few overripe bananas, these chocolate-studded muffins are one of the best bang-for-your-buck treats you’ll find. They come together in one bowl in about half an hour, and packing them with mashed banana and Greek yogurt keeps them exceptionally soft and tender. There is just enough chocolate added to give them a little flavor boost without being totally overpowering. You could even stir in ½ cup of toasted chopped walnuts for more flavor and texture.

Yield: 12 muffins

4 tablespoons / 85 grams unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

1 ½ cups / 330 grams mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)

½ cup / 100 grams granulated sugar

½ cup / 120 grams Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons avocado or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups / 256 grams all-purpose flour

½ cup / 85 grams semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (optional)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees with a rack set in the center. Generously butter a 12-cup muffin tin (or, if you prefer, line with paper liners).

In a large bowl, combine the bananas, sugar, yogurt, eggs, melted butter, oil, vanilla and salt. Whisk until combined. Whisk in the baking powder and baking soda, then use a flexible spatula to gently fold in the flour. When there are a few streaks of flour left, add the chocolate chips and fold until well combined.

Divide the mixture among the wells of the muffin tin (using about ⅓ cup of batter per well) and sprinkle each with turbinado sugar, if using. Bake the muffins until they are puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a bit of chocolate, about 20 minutes.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove them to a rack to cool.

Serve immediately or store extras in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

TIP: Liked them a lot. Added an extra banana because I had 4 going south. Not overly dense as a result. Flavor was perfect.

Extra-Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Extra-Crispy Brussels Sprouts

While nothing compares to the crackle of restaurant-made, deep-fried brussels sprouts, these get satisfyingly close. After multiple rounds of testing variables like oven temperature, rack placement, adding cornstarch or honey, starting with a cold oven or on the stovetop, et cetera ad nauseum, this method — roasting the oiled and seasoned sprouts on a preheated sheet pan — produced the most consistently crispy results. Be sure to use any exterior leaves that fall off the sprouts; they will roast up into delightfully crackly chips.

Yield: 4 servings

1 pound brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Place a sheet pan in the center rack of the oven and heat to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, trim the brussels sprouts and halve (or quarter if they’re quite large). Transfer the brussels sprouts to a medium bowl, reserving any loose leaves on the cutting board.

Sprinkle the cut brussels sprouts with oil, salt and pepper. Toss until well coated. Working quickly, pour the brussels sprouts onto the heated sheet pan and arrange them cut-sides down. Make sure there’s plenty of room between them. (Reserve the oily bowl.) Roast, without flipping, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer the loose leaves to the bowl and toss to coat in the residual oil. After the brussels sprouts have roasted for 10 minutes, add the leaves around the brussels sprouts (no need to flip). Roast until everything is browned and crisp on the top and bottom, another 5 to 10 minutes. Eat right away; the brussels sprouts will soften as they sit.

TIP: So good with a little balsamic glaze drizzled before serving! Best way to make Brussels!

Do skip the flip, it's better (learned this by accident). But why fuss with a hot sheet pan or loose leaves? Just arrange on parchment, cut side down, with adequate spacing and loose leaves tucked anywhere, 425° for 25 minutes.

Mushroom Bourguignon

Mushroom Bourguignon

Meaty mushrooms simmered with pearl onions, wine and carrots make for a rich, wintry Bourguignon-style stew. The quality of the stock here makes a big difference, so if you’re not using homemade, buy a good brand. If you’re a meat eater, beef broth adds a familiar brawny character to this dish, but mushroom or vegetable broth works just as well, especially because the whole dish is rounded out with a tamari for depth. For the best flavor, use as many kinds of mushrooms as you can get, and let them really brown when searing; that caramelization adds a lot of depth to the sauce. Maitake mushrooms give this a brisket-like texture, in a very good way.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

6 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

2 pounds mixed mushrooms, such as portobello, cremini, white button, shiitake or oyster, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 10 cups)

8 ounces peeled pearl onions (2 cups), larger ones cut in half

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large leek or 2 small leeks, white and light green parts, diced (1 ½ cups)

2 carrots, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves (2 minced, 1 grated to a paste)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups dry red wine

1 ½ cups beef, mushroom or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce, plus more to taste

3 large fresh thyme branches or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

3 to 4 ounces chanterelle or oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

Smoked paprika, for serving

Polenta, egg noodles or mashed potatoes, for serving

Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Add 2 tablespoons butter or oil to a large Dutch oven or pot and set it over medium heat. When the fat is hot, stir in half the mushrooms and half the pearl onions. (If it doesn’t all fit in the pot in one layer, you might have to do this in three batches, rather than two.) Without moving them around too much, cook the mushrooms until they are brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Stir and let them brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mushrooms and onions to a large bowl or plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with another 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining mushrooms and pearl onions, seasoning them as you go.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add another 1 tablespoon butter or oil to pan. Add leeks and carrot and sauté until the leeks turn lightly golden and start to soften, 5 minutes. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add wine, broth, 1 tablespoon tamari, thyme and bay leaf, scraping up the brown bits at bottom of pot.

Add reserved cooked mushrooms and pearl onions back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Partly cover the pot and simmer on low heat until carrots and onions are tender and sauce is thick, 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add more salt and tamari if needed. Stir in the grated garlic clove.

Just before serving, heat a small skillet over high heat and add ½ tablespoon butter or oil. Add half of the sliced chanterelles or oyster mushrooms and let cook without moving until they are crisp and brown on one side, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika. Repeat with remaining butter and mushrooms. Serve mushroom Bourguignon over polenta, noodles or mashed potatoes, topped with fried mushrooms and parsley.

TIP: Dried mushrooms work well. One ounce will replace 8 ounces of fresh. Reconstitute by soaking in boiling water for 30 minutes. Lift the mushroom pieces out of the liquid and cut as needed. Let the liquid stand for a few minutes to let any grit settle, then pour off the clear liquid and use it as part of the broth in the recipe. Discard the murky remains.

Many varieties of dried mushrooms are available in supermarkets and stores like Trader Joe's, Aldi and Sprouts & online through Amazon.

I roasted the mushrooms for 20 minutes in a 450 degree oven with some EVOO, S&P and thyme first. Then followed everything up to step 3, added the mushrooms and onions back in, covered the Dutch oven and let it chill out in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Worked like a charm, concentrated the flavors, with less stove time.

Chickpea Tomato-Rice Soup

Chickpea Tomato-Rice Soup

This soup reorganizes all the essential parts of rice and beans into something entirely different. In this version, the rice simmers directly in a spicy tomato broth made smoky by chipotles, and creamy from the starchy rice. While the soup simmers, chickpeas roast until crispy — ready to sprinkle generously on top for a contrast in texture (and extra protein). As the soup cools, it thickens to a risotto-like texture that when served with a dollop of yogurt stirred in, becomes rich and satisfying, and perfect for a cold winter night at home.

Yield: 4 servings

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped (about 12 ounces)

½ large onion, peeled and roughly chopped (about 6 ounces)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup long-grain white rice, such as jasmine

2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, roughly chopped

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Full-fat plain Greek yogurt and lime wedges (optional), for serving

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap chickpeas in a clean dishtowel and shake vigorously to dry them thoroughly. Place the chickpeas on a sheet pan along with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, the garlic powder and cumin, and roll them around to coat them in the oil and spices. Bake until crispy, about 20 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through to toss the chickpeas.

While chickpeas roast, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves to a blender with 1½ teaspoons salt and 2 cups water and blend until smooth. Set aside. 

In a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium high. Add the rice and chipotles and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the rice has begun to toast, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato mixture plus the vegetable broth. Bring to a brisk simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, lower to a gentle simmer, and cook, partially covered, until rice is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Taste for salt.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt, a generous sprinkling of crispy chickpeas and a squeeze of lime. The soup will thicken as it sits and can be enjoyed as a porridge or thinned with more broth or water.

Strawberry-Lemon Loaf Cake

Strawberry-Lemon Loaf Cake

This cake is summer in a loaf pan. When baked, strawberries can become sour and a little gummy. Here, berries are macerated with sugar first to remove some of their liquid and concentrate their flavor. (Don’t use frozen strawberries. Keep those for your smoothie!) The lemon icing adds a nice finish, to balance and bolster the cake’s tart-sweetness. Have it as dessert or a snack, but it’s especially good at breakfast with hot coffee or tea. 

Yield: One 9-inch loaf

FOR THE CAKE

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup/150 grams diced strawberries 

1 cup/200 grams plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 ½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

1 cup/227 grams sour cream, at room temperature

½ cup/110 grams vegetable oil

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE LEMON GLAZE

1 cup/123 grams confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar to macerate while you prepare the cake batter.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar. Whisk to combine. In a second large bowl, combine the sour cream, oil, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir gently to mix. Lift the macerated berries out of their liquid and add them to the batter. Gently fold in the berries until evenly incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. If it looks to be browning on top too much, tent with aluminum foil. Cool it in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then unmold the cake carefully and transfer to the rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar with the lemon zest and juice and stir until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let stand until set.

TIP: This looks like the glorious lemon drizzle cake I’ve made twice this summer, although mine was vegan. As with all good lemon drizzle cakes, you make lots of small holes in the top of the cake just after you take it out of the oven. Then you drizzle a lemon simple syrup over the cake, concentrating on those holes. When it’s cool, you it glaze it just as with this recipe. I decorated the cake with lemon zest and sliced strawberries. Everyone loved it.

I didn't read all the notes from others so someone else could have suggested this, but I used some of the liquid from the macerated strawberries along with a reduced portion of the lemon juice in the glaze. Why throw away all that flavor? It also makes for a nice pinkish glaze.

Cottage Cheese Bread

Cottage Cheese Bread

Incorporating cottage cheese and egg whites into a classic white bread recipe delivers a tender crumb, as well as a hefty boost of protein. This versatile loaf is perfect for sandwiches, toasts and more. The process is similar to making any sandwich bread: The wet ingredients are stirred with the flour, kneaded into a smooth dough, then proofed, shaped, proofed again and baked. Whisking the cottage cheese and egg whites with the wet mixture is the only difference. This recipe is bread-machine friendly, as long as the cottage cheese and egg whites are blended until smooth before being added to the machine. Thanks to the added fat and moisture from the cottage cheese, the bread should stay moist and soft for a few days at room temperature, but freezing the sliced loaf is the best way to extend its shelf life. Simply toast frozen slices before serving.

Yield: About 10 servings

1 ½ teaspoons/5 grams active dry yeast 

⅓ cup/75 grams lukewarm water

1 cup/250 grams egg whites (from 7 to 8 large egg whites) 

1 cup/255 grams cottage cheese 

4 ⅔ cups/582 grams bread flour, plus more for dusting 

1 tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt

Oil (preferably avocado or sunflower oil), as needed

In a large mixing bowl, combine the active dry yeast and lukewarm water and set aside to hydrate.

In a blender or food processor, combine the egg whites and cottage cheese and blend until smooth. Add the blended mixture to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine. 

Whisk the flour with a dry whisk in its container to remove any lumps and aerate the flour. Measure it and add it, along with the salt, to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine into a shaggy, sticky dough. 

Dust a work surface with flour and dump the dough on it. Dust your hands with flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough (or oil your hands with a little bit of oil). Knead the dough, using a bench scraper to help lift the sticky dough from your work surface as needed, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until it starts looking smooth. You can also knead the dough until smooth using a stand mixer or bread machine. 

Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.

Line a 9-by-5-inch or similar size loaf pan with parchment paper.

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to deflate it. Roll it into a log, then pinch the dough along the seam together. Place in the prepared pan, seam side down.

Let the dough sit in the loaf pan for 20 to 25 minutes, or until visibly risen and puffed up.

In the meantime, heat the oven to 400 degrees. 

After the dough’s second rise, make a slit along the middle using a sharp knife or razor blade. 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it sounds hollow after a gentle tap on the crust. The top of the bread will brown pretty quickly. To prevent it from burning, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil as soon as it turns crusty and brown.

Cool completely, then slice and serve. (Slices can be stored in the freezer in a ziptop bag, then toasted before serving.)

Grandma’s Butter Chicken Wings

Grandma’s Butter Chicken Wings

Slowly pan-frying chicken wings is a gentler way to cook them and end up with juicy, tender meat. My grandmother taught me this recipe, which is in my book “Gather Around My Table” (Knopf, 2026). In it, a covered skillet allows the chicken to steam through while the fat slowly renders and bastes the wings. The seemingly simple combination of soy sauce and butter yields a complex rich glaze that’s savory, salty, sweet and creamy all at once. Resist the urge to cook them faster or over higher heat, since this can burn the glaze. Serve the wings warm or at room temperature, no dipping sauce required.

Yield: 12 wings

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or safflower

1 pound chicken wingettes and drumettes (about 12 pieces)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sake (optional), see Tip

3 tablespoons mirin

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toasted sesame seeds or chopped scallions, for garnish (optional)

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Season the wings with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet, skin side down. Cook until lightly golden underneath, about 10 minutes. Flip the wings and add the sake to the skillet. Cover and steam until the wings are lightly golden on the other side and the skin releases from the skillet, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the wings to a plate. Pour out all of the oil into a small heatproof bowl and wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Discard the oil once cooled.

Return the wings to the cleaned skillet over medium-low heat. Add the mirin, soy sauce and butter and cook, turning and basting frequently, until the sauce has reduced and the wings are cooked through and nicely glazed, 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the wings to a plate and garnish with more pepper and sesame seeds or scallions, if using, and serve warm.

Tips Sake lends the glaze subtle sweetness and fruity flavor but can be simply replaced with water.

For spicy wings, add a few dashes of hot sauce once the wings are glazed and give them a quick toss.

To feed a crowd, make a few batches of wings 1 to 2 hours ahead and arrange them on a lightly greased large sheet tray to cool at room temperature. When ready to serve, pop them into a 350 degree oven until warmed through, turning halfway, 8 to 10 minutes.

Brown Sugar Sheet-Pan French Toast

Brown Sugar Sheet-Pan French Toast

With a cracking, caramelized brown sugar crust topping and soft, custardy slices of challah, this sheet-pan French toast is sweet perfection all by itself, without the need for maple syrup or powdered sugar. Baking it on a sheet pan eliminates the need to stand at the stove, pan-frying slices in batches. And while the oven is on, it’s easy to throw in a pan of bacon as well. If you can plan ahead, it’s best to start this the night before; the longer the challah soaks in the cinnamon-scented egg mixture, the better and more cakelike the result.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

6 large eggs

2 ¼ cups/535 grams whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt

1 (1-pound) challah loaf, cut into 1-inch-thick slices

1 packed cup/210 grams dark brown sugar

½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted

In a bowl, whisk eggs until well combined, then whisk in milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.

Place the bread in a rimmed sheet pan. Pour the mixture on top and flip the slices to coat with custard on both sides. Let bread soak in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Flip the bread again halfway through soaking (or about an hour before baking).

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Pour brown sugar and melted butter onto a baking sheet and use an offset spatula to help combine it into a smooth mixture.

Carefully place the bread on top of the sugared baking sheet, leaving any excess liquid in the other pan. Bake for 27 to 35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and puffed and the sugar is bubbling.

Serve immediately, with the crunchy brown sugar side facing up, and drizzle more of the pan syrup on top.

TIP: I made this today. One pan soaked in the custard overnight and the brown sugar did not caramelize. The other pan was made up in the morning and only soaked in the custard for a short time - it was caramelized and I liked it better. Added orange zest to the custard. Both versions were eaten with delight. Will definitely make it again

If you're already using a saucepan to melt the butter, why not combine the brown sugar with the butter in it. That's certainly easier than trying to stir it all together on the sheet.

Delicious! My only change is to use salted butter instead of unsalted for the brown sugar mixture. Also LOVED the tip about cutting into chunks instead of slices - way easier to soak.

Agree with those who would decrease butter and brown sugar. I soaked my bread in chunks on a bowl and cooked in a 9x13 baking dish. It was great

I had a loaf of croissant bread, so used that here to great results. I warmed the bread in my toaster oven in advance to dry it out. This turned out to be a great strategy because it absorbed the milk/egg mixture quite rapidly (e.g., within 20 minutes), which is great when you’re hungry and don’t want to wait!

A winner!

This is a forgiving recipe—if you don't use the exact measurements, it'll be fine: I had a half a baguette, stale, and used that for two people. Followed instructions, but reduced the ingredients on the fly/by the eye (two egss? Sure) and, since it was just half a baguette, baked it in a small cast-iron skillet.

Delicious and simple. A bit sweet for my taste, so I topped it with plain Greek yogurt, and that was wonderful. Served it with a fruit salad with a bit of mint.