108 basic base recipes

Basic holiday butter cookies with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb from cornstarch in the dough. This versatile base recipe can be rolled, cut, or shaped into any holiday cookie you want.

Basic Green Sauce blends spinach, green chili, tomato, garlic, and oregano into a smooth base, then finishes with sour cream for a creamy Mexican-style green sauce. Ready in 30 minutes.

Chicken base is basically dehydrated, powdered chicken stock. If you can't find it in the supermarket, grind chicken bouillon cubes. For the asparagus, cut about two inches off the stem end. You don't need to peel it. To blanch spinach, simply drop it in boiling salted water for one minute and then immediately submerge it in ice water to stop the cooking and retain the color. The spinach will provide the soup with a vibrant green hue.

Basic biscuit baking mix is a homemade Bisquick-style staple with flour, baking powder, dry milk, salt, and shortening. Makes 90 biscuits over 6 weeks of pantry storage. Just add water.

Basic buttery biscuits with shortening cut through flour for tender layers, hand-formed and baked hot for golden tops and pillowy centers. The fastest way to fresh-baked biscuits on the table.

Homemade pizza dough with roasted bell peppers, fresh mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, easy to make and tastes good.

Zojirushi whole wheat bread machine loaf bakes 100% whole wheat flour, honey, and a touch of cornmeal into a hearty, fiber-rich sandwich loaf. Six ingredients, basic-white setting, hands-off.

Traditional French baguettes made with just four basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt. Bake in your bread machine or shape by hand for authentic crusty loaves.

Homemade pita bread that puffs into pockets on a hot baking sheet at 500 degrees. Four basic ingredients, no fat, freezes well, and makes 6 large or 12 small pitas.

Applesauce spice muffins use a basic muffin mix as the shortcut, blended with applesauce for moisture, plus chopped nuts and raisins. A six-ingredient breakfast bake that comes together in one bowl.

Basic cheesecake with a ricotta and cream cheese filling for a lighter, slightly tangy bite over a classic graham cracker crust. Bakes up tall, creamy, and clean enough to dress up with any fruit or sauce.

Making your own naan bread really isn't hard. It's also a fun thing to make these naan, sometimes they are puffed seriously during the baking. It's great to watch how they turn out from all these basic ingredients into yummy bread.

As I do not own a bread machine, I adapted this recipe to make in my KitchenAid stand mixer using the dough hook. I kept the igredients basically the same, with the exception of adding 1 1/2 Tbs. honey. I baked it in a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

A rosemary foccacia is baked in a pizza pan, brushed with garlic-infused olive oil, topped with roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and chunks mozzarella cheese. Loaded with delicious goodness and packed with flavor.

Homemade boiled-then-baked bagels with a chewy crust and dense, satisfying interior. Just 5 basic ingredients, shaped by hand and simmered before baking for authentic texture.

Bread machine pizza dough made with basic pantry ingredients. Let the machine knead, pull it before the bake cycle, and shape for homemade pizza night.