Louise Galen serves this easy bread as an accompaniment to bacon omelets. Prep and Cook Time: about 2 hours. Notes: Make sure this bread is completely cool before you cut it, or it will crumble. It’s even better when made a day ahead.

Oats, whole wheat flour, bran flakes, and wheat germ make this bread dense and full flavored. The recipe makes two loaves, so freeze one to enjoy later. Wrap in plastic wrap then aluminum foil, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
2 loaves, 18 slices per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)

Makes 2 (9-inch) loaves

Seal this quick bread in plastic, then wrap with a pretty kitchen towel and tie it up with a ribbon. Add a card that suggests toasting slices of this moist bread for breakfast and spreading with light cream cheese for a special treat. You can even include a small crock of cream cheese in a basket with the bread for a hand-delivered gift.

12 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Cranberry-Orange Muffins: Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2, spooning batter into a lightly greased muffin pan, filling two-thirds full. Bake at 375° for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool 10 minutes or until completely cool.
Makes 12 servings (serving size: 1 bread slice or 1 muffin)

Jennifer Kirkgaard makes this Italian-inspired loaf all year long, but her family and friends especially enjoy it during the holidays. Semolina flour is available in well-stocked supermarkets; if you can’t find it, substitute yellow cornmeal.

Mashed potatoes make an especially tender bread that’s great for sandwiches. Make sure the potato cooking liquid is warm to the touch so it will activate the yeast. This recipe makes two loaves. Keep one of them for yourself, and wrap the other in a pretty kitchen towel secured with a ribbon or raffia.
2 loaves, 12 slices per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)

2 loaves (serving size: 1/2-inch slice)