Fifteen Favorite Breads from 2015

These are fifteen of my favorite breads from 2015. Actually, I'm pretty fond of all of the bread I made this year, so it was really difficult to narrow this list down to 15. Last year I was able to choose 10....

I was able to feature five more breads in my Readers' Favorites post, but that still leaves out 41 really good breads, flatbreads, and crackers. Yes, loyal readers, I baked 61 breads (including pizzas) last year!


To get the recipes, just click on the name of the bread.

1. Kouign Amann

Top left. This is a Breton laminated bread. It's crispy and delicious. I absolutely loved it. The process for making these is similar to making croissants, except that sugar is sprinkles between the layers of dough. I heard later that is was featured on The Great British Bake Off as a huge challenge. 

2. Pizza Cipolla

Top middle. This Pizza Cipolla is a flatbread generously topped with onions tossed in cream, salt, and thyme. The flavor just blew me away. It is so delicious. The crust is thin and crisp, and the onions are sweet from roasting in the hot oven. I could have this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

3. Potato Pizza with Rosemary

Bottom row, second from right. This pizza uses the same dough as the pizza cipolla. The potatoes are tender crisp, and piled on the dough prior to baking. Sooooo good!

4. Onion Bagels

Bottom row, second from left. What I especially love about these bagels is how easy they are to prepare, and how authentic they taste. They don't quite have the shine of these New York water bagels, but the flavor and chew are perfect. 

5. Demi Baguettes

Bottom left. Baguettes are my bread baking nemesis. I can produce some good tasting baguettes, but it is always a struggle to shape them for me. These came about as close as I've come to round baguettes with airy holes. This will be my "go to" baguette recipe. 

6. Bialys

Third row, second from left. These are a delicious lighter cousin of the bagel with a center of onions and poppy seeds. They are savory and flavorful and I loved them for breakfast and for hot roast beef sandwiches. They are wonderful. 

7. Pain au Levain with a Firm Starter

Second row, third from left. This bread includes a mixture of white, whole wheat, and rye flours and is naturally leavened by a firm (dough-like) starter, rather than a liquid (batter-like) starter. The flavor is not really sour at all, but still has well developed flavors from the starter. I know, a bit geeky, but what can I say? 

8. Conchas

Upper right corner. My friend Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen inspired the Bread Baking Babes to make these. They are a traditional Mexican sweet bread. I took these to work where they were taste tested and deemed "amazing" by a colleague whose parents own a bakery in Mexico. Woo hoo!

9. Parker House Rolls

Third row, second from right. These are the perfect dinner roll. The secret to their tastiness? Butter between the layers, in the dough, and brushed over the dough when they come out of the oven. You need to try these. 

10. Cranberry Sourdough Country Bread

Third row on the left. This bread has the perfect crust and the softest interior. It's the texture I always strive for when making a lean artisan bread. Even with the cranberries, the bread still is excellent for sandwiches, especially turkey or grilled cheese. 

11. Pain de Mie

Second row, second from left. I've been wanting to make a pain de mie in a Pullman pan for quite a while. Yes, I have a bread bucket list. I love these perfect corners. Mission accomplished. 

12. Rustic Flaxseed and Date Ciabatta

Second row on the left. An airy bread is kind of the Holy Grail (no pun intended) for baking achievement in the world of ciabatta. While getting those holes is fairly easy with white flour and a super wet dough, adding such things as whole wheat, rye, and flax seeds makes it a bit more complicated. This Rustic Flaxseed and Date Ciabatta really was a thrill for me because the bread is so full of holes!

13. Stout, Rye, and Pumpkin Sourdough

Third row, far right. You don't taste the pumpkin at all in the loaf, but it mellows this dough. The loaf is glorious. It takes a couple of days to make, but it's totally worth it. 

14. Pain de Campagne Batard

Second row, far right. This is another loaf that uses a firm starter. The resulting interior is so airy and beautiful. It's such a wonderful dough to work with, and produces amazing bread. 

15. Olive Campagne Boule

Bottom left corner. This is the same dough as the Pain de Campagne Batard, but with olives added. I couldn't get enough of bread made from this dough. 

Thank you to Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes for hosting this series of end of year round ups. 

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