14 basic base recipes

They were super easy to make, tasted buttery, cheesy, fluffy and flaky, with the aroma from basil. They can be served pretty much with all the main courses, or just eating them directly is yummy enough!

Crispy fried falafel balls with chickpeas, herbs, and warm spices. Classic Middle Eastern vegetarian patties served in pita with fresh vegetables and tahini sauce.

Pesto biscuits with green basil flecks and fluffy buttermilk crumb, baked from a quick pantry-friendly recipe using powdered milk. A herbal twist on the classic American biscuit.

Crispy Colombian conch fritters with habanero heat, olives, pimentos, and fresh herbs. A Caribbean-style appetizer fried golden in minutes.

A basic soup base that's made with tomato sauce. Perfect to use when creating any kind of soup!

Single-crust pastry pie shell with margarine, blind-baked at high heat until golden in 10 minutes. A basic flaky pastry that works as a base for cream pies, custards, and fruit fillings.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Basic beer bread with just five ingredients and no yeast. Flour, baking powder, beer, and a touch of honey make a dense, flavorful loaf with a crispy golden crust.

Learn how to make pita bread with this basic pita recipe. Fragrant homemade pita is obviously superior to store-bought pita and is quite thrilling to watch bake.