Makes 14 biscuits

Do not underbake these biscuits or they will taste slightly gummy. Check for doneness by checking the bottom of a biscuit—it should be golden brown. Freeze the butter and cream cheese just until solid, otherwise, they will be difficult to cut into the flour mixture.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Even without a slathering of butter or jam, an average biscuit can pack a pretty mean caloric punch. We lightened these by reducing the amount of butter by half and replacing the shortening with cream cheese. The whole-wheat flour gives these a hearty taste and a chewy, flaky texture.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2013/06/secrets-to-whole-wheat-buttermilk-biscuits/

Makes one 9‐inch crust

If the dough becomes too soft to work with when pressing it into the tart pan in step 3, let it firm up in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted to come up with a way to make a healthier tart crust. First, we swapped in 6 tablespoons of olive oil for the 8 tablespoons of butter a tart crust typically contains. Furthermore, we substituted whole-wheat flour for a portion of the all-purpose white flour, which gave the crust not only a healthful boost, but a heartier flavor as well. The dough is soft and cannot be rolled out, so we pressed pieces of the dough right into the tart pan. A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese over the crust admittedly doesn’t cut calories or fat, but it does add important flavor and provides a moisture barrier to a variety of savory fillings.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2013/04/secrets-to-olive-oil-tart-crust/

Makes about 20 fritters
Use medium- or finely ground cornmeal. Serve with honey butter.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
A quick-cooked mixture of cornmeal and water is the base for this simple dish. A mere tablespoon of flour helped bind the mix together, an egg added richness and structure, and baking powder kept our hot water cornbread light. After a few minutes in hot oil, these bite-size morsels were crispy and brown—ready to be eaten warm with a dab of honey butter.

Makes 9 Rolls
These rolls are ideal for both burgers and sandwiches. Don’t salt the cooking water for the potatoes. A pound of russet potatoes should yield just over 1 very firmly packed cup (1/2 pound) of mash. To ensure optimum rise, your dough should be warm; if your potatoes or potato water is too hot to touch, let cool before proceeding with the recipe. This dough looks very dry when mixing begins but will soften as mixing progresses. If you prefer, you may portion the rolls by weight in step 5 (2.75 ounces of dough per roll).

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Mashed potatoes are hefty and substantial, but in a potato rolls recipe, they give the crumb a light, tender, moist texture. That’s because the starches in potatoes dilute the gluten-forming proteins, which weakens the structural network and makes it softer, moister, and more tender. For the lightest potato rolls, we use a combination of ½ pound of mashed russet potatoes and high-protein bread flour. This creates a potato roll dough with a stable structure that supports the greatest amount of potatoes, producing rolls that were not only perfectly risen but also light and airy.

MAKES 12 ROLLS

Don’t salt the water in which you boil the potatoes. A pound of russet potatoes should yield a little more than one firmly packed cup (1/2 pound) of mashed potatoes. To ensure optimum rise, your dough should be warm; if your potatoes or potato water is too hot to touch, set it aside to cool before proceeding with the recipe. Bread flour is best for this recipe; do not attempt to substitute all-purpose flour. This dough looks very dry when mixing begins, but resist the urge to add more water; the dough will soften as mixing progresses. If you prefer, you may portion the rolls by weight in step 5 (2 ounces of dough per roll).

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Mashed potatoes are hefty and substantial, but in a potato rolls recipe, they give the crumb a light, tender, moist texture. That’s because the starches in potatoes dilute the gluten-forming proteins, which weakens the structural network and makes it softer, moister, and more tender. For the lightest potato rolls, we use a combination of ½ pound of mashed russet potatoes and high-protein bread flour. This creates a potato roll dough with a stable structure that supports the greatest amount of potatoes, producing rolls that were not only perfectly risen but also light and airy.

MAKES 2 LOAVES

Two tablespoons of nonfat milk powder can be used in place of the liquid milk; increase the amount of water in the dough to 1 cup. As you make this bread, keep in mind that the dough is wet and very sticky. The key to manipulating it is working quickly and gently; rough handling will result in flat, tough loaves. When possible, use a large rubber spatula or bowl scraper to move the dough. If you have to use your hands, make sure they are well floured. Because the dough is so sticky, it must be prepared in a stand mixer. If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the bread on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. The bread will keep for up to 2 days, well wrapped and stored at room temperature. To recrisp the crust, place the unwrapped bread in a 450-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes. The bread will keep frozen for several months wrapped in foil and placed in a large zipper-lock bag. Thaw the bread at room temperature and recrisp using the instructions above.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For a ciabatta recipe with airy texture, tangy flavor, and perfect lift, we chose all-purpose flour, which gave the bread an open, springy texture. A sponge fermented for 12 hours gave the bread its requisite flavor. A combination of kneading and turning lent the dough just the right amount of gluten for the medium-size bubbles we were looking for in the perfect ciabatta recipe.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2013/01/secrets-to-ciabatta-bread/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=secrets-to-ciabatta-bread

What’s in a name? A lot, actually.

MAKES 24

With their unique folds, buttery gloss, and tender crumb, Parker House rolls are classic American dinner rolls at their very best. When rounding the dough and shaping the rolls, it is important to keep the remaining dough covered, otherwise it will quickly dry out and develop a skin. Rolling the dough into symmetrical rounds takes a little practice, but you will quickly get the hang of it. A dry, unfloured work surface helps because the dough will stick a little. Although we like using a French-style rolling pin for flattening the rolls, a more traditional option is a thin dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon. Whatever your choice, lightly flour it or the dough will stick to it.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/11/secrets-to-parker-house-rolls/

MAKES 4 PIECES

This recipe worked best with a high-protein all-purpose flour such as King Arthur brand. Do not use nonfat yogurt in this recipe. A 12-inch nonstick skillet may be used in place of the cast-iron skillet. For efficiency, stretch the next ball of dough while each naan is cooking. This variation, which can be prepared in about two hours, forgoes the overnight rest, but the dough may be a little harder to roll out.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted a light and tender naan that approached the quality of the best restaurant naan, without the need for a tandoor. We started with a moist dough with a fair amount of fat, which created a soft bread that was pleasantly chewy, but the real secret was the cooking method. While we thought a grill or preheated pizza stone would be the best cooking method, we discovered that they cooked the bread unevenly. A much better option was a covered skillet. The skillet delivers heat to the bottom and the top of the bread, producing loaves that are nicely charred but still moist.

Makes two 9-inch round loaves

If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the bread on an overturned, preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the upper-middle oven rack. The bread can be kept for up to 2 days well wrapped at room temperature or frozen for 2 months wrapped in foil and placed in a zipper-lock bag.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Most of the focaccia we see in the States is heavy, thick, and strewn with pizza-like toppings. We wanted a lighter loaf, crisp-crusted and airy on the inside and topped with just a smattering of herbs.

To start, we focused on flavor. To get the benefits of a long fermentation with minimal effort, many bakers use a “preferment” (also known as a “sponge,” “starter,” or biga in Italian): a mixture of flour, water, and a small amount of yeast that rests (often overnight) before being incorporated into the dough. We followed suit, but the interiors of the loaves weren’t as tender and airy as we wanted. We wondered if our standing mixer was developing too much gluten (the strong, elastic network of cross-linked proteins that give bread its crumb structure). Instead we turned to a more gentle approach, one we learned while developing our Almost No-Knead Bread. In this method, a high hydration level (the weight of the water in relation to the weight of the flour) and a long autolysis (the dough resting process) take advantage of the enzymes naturally present in the wheat to produce the same effect as kneading.

This method worked to a point—our loaves were light and airy, but squat. To improve the structure, we turned the dough (folding in the edges of the dough toward the middle) at regular intervals while it proofed. But to cut back on the long proofing time (three hours) and hasten gluten development, we followed the advice of research, which suggested holding back the salt when mixing our dough, adding it in later. (Salt inhibits flour from absorbing water and slows down the activity of the enzymes responsible for developing gluten.) The results were dramatic—we were able to shave an hour off our proofing time.

To give our loaves a flavorful, crisp crust, we oiled the baking pans and added coarse salt for flavor and an extra crunchy texture. This focaccia was a revelation: crackly crisp on the bottom, deeply browned on top, with an interior that was open and airy.

Makes two 12-inch pizzas

We like to use a baking stone (also called a pizza stone), which heats evenly and helps crisp crusts, but if you don’t have one, bake the pizzas on an inverted, preheated rimmed baking sheet.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
With its wafer-thin crust; thick, sweet tomato sauce; gooey Provel cheese; and signature square slices, St. Louis-style Pizza is unmistakable. Adding cornstarch to the dough absorbed moisture and allowed the crust to crisp in a conventional oven. Because cornstarch has no gluten, it also helped to keep the crust tender.

We doctored a simple pizza sauce by adding sugar, tomato sauce, dried oregano, and fresh basil. The fresh herb wasn’t typical, but it gave the St. Louis-Style Pizza a flavorful lift. Smoky, melty Provel cheese was difficult to find outside the St. Louis area. We crafted a respectable substitute with American cheese, Monterey Jack, and liquid smoke.