31 basic base recipes

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.

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.

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.

Bread machine pizza crust using the basic dough cycle with bread flour, yeast, and oil. Makes four individual thin-crust pizzas baked at high heat until crisp and bubbly.

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.

Rich almond spritz cookies with nutty depth and delicate crumb. Cookie press shapes bake up golden with sophisticated flavor beyond basic butter cookies.

Basic graham cracker cheesecake crust: three ingredients pressed into a springform pan and chilled. The blueprint no-bake crust that swaps to gingersnap or chocolate wafer for any cheesecake variation.

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.

Rustic whole wheat bannock bread with rolled oats and raisins bakes up golden in just 30 minutes. This hearty, no-yeast flatbread is a cozy, simple comfort food staple that needs only basic pantry ingredients.