10 Delicious bread recipes

Making your own bread is so satisfying, and it’s lovely to know that my morning slice of toast isn’t jam packed with additives. That moment when you open the oven and see the results of your efforts is so rewarding; there are times I find it really difficult not to immediately cut off a slice and slather on the butter.

Starting with a simple white loaf, here’s a recipe with full instructions for the baking beginner. I’ve found that with baking especially, the great thing to do is just get stuck in and try. Results improve with practice, and something has to go drastically wrong before you end up with an inedible loaf. 

A step up from a simple loaf to include grated root vegetables. This sounds like a great loaf to accompany a hearty bowl of rich and warming winter soup. I like the idea of using milk and water in this recipe to give a lighter crumb.  

A lot of people are intimidated by baking their own sourdough. It seems to be portrayed as this mysterious quest that only professional bakers can accomplish, but this “no knead” sourdough bread is the recipe to change that. Coming from someone who loves baking sourdough, it’s really not too difficult—a few practices and I was getting much better results. 

This is a spelt based vegan version of a festive classic, the saffron wreath. The spice adds a beautiful golden colour and rich flavour to this bread, which is filled with dark chocolate, dates, and coconut sugar. Just sweet enough for dessert, and perfect for any celebration.

A great hamburger has two essential elements. First, the patty and, second, the bun. Buns can be too large and smother a burger or be limp cardboard that makes the whole thing taste cheap. You can’t pick up a burger without a bun, so here’s a recipe for taking your BBQ to the next step and making your own—wowing people this way is easier than you might think. 

A doughy inside with sweet raisins and cinnamon, and a crunchy outer crust! Like all breads it does take a bit of time, but most of that is just waiting for the yeast to do its thing. Classic flavour combinations are classics for a reason, as shown by this delicious loaf. 

The sweetness of pumpkin and tangy sourdough makes excellent bread—a great idea for a new flavour in pumpkin season, and this bread just looks amazing, with its easy to slice segments. Like a large savoury orange! 

Dukkha is an Egyptian nut and spice blend that’s normally used as a dip for olive-oil soaked Baladi flatbreads. Here, it’s been used to flavour the crust of this soft sourdough raised freeform loaf. 

In most north Indian homes, breakfast is incomplete without paratha flatbread. I’ve included this recipe to add a no yeast option to this list. Usually, parathas are plain or various kind of stuffing such as potato, peas, paneer or cauliflower or lentils can be used. This recipe uses spinach for an amazing looking, rich green result. 

Most of the time, I’m using yeast from the packet that lives in the fridge, but here’s an idea for something different: a bread raised with beer. Many bottled beers have live yeast in the bottle, for conditioning, so this recipe uses that, and also includes honey for extra sweetness. A great loaf for tea-time toast! 

Helen Best-Shaw, is a freelance food & travel writer, recipe developer & photographer. She has been blogging at Fuss Free Flavours for over 10 years.  

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