405 crust recipes

Philadelphia-style soft pretzels with a chewy, dense bread interior and a glossy egg-washed crust crusted with coarse salt. Four ingredients, baked in a hot oven for street-cart authenticity at home.

Tender, nutty cracked wheat muffins with a golden crust and wholesome chew. Quick to mix and baked in under 25 minutes for a fiber-rich breakfast or snack.

Classic double-crust blackberry pie with a flaky shortening crust and simple sugar-flour filling. No frills, just four cups of berries baked golden in a homemade shell.

Crustless quiche with pressed rice crust, chicken, and Chinese vegetables in creamy egg custard. A creative fusion of French quiche and Asian flavors, ready in 60 minutes.

Low-fat cornbread made with applesauce instead of butter and egg whites in place of whole eggs. The preheated pan trick delivers a golden, crispy bottom crust every time.

Roast ham with crackling slow-roasts a fresh ham or pork shoulder at low temperature, scoring the rind into a crackling-crisp golden crust. Three ingredients, no basting required.

Deep plum pie with halved plums baked under overlapping pastry rounds, sweetened with brown and white sugar, warmed with cloves or cardamom and thickened with quick tapioca.

Spice-crusted seared ahi tuna with Chimayo chile, cumin, and fennel rolled into a bold crust and flash-seared rare. A 10-minute restaurant-quality appetizer you can slice paper-thin.

Cajun-style blackened burgers crusted with cayenne, fennel, white pepper, and garlic. Cooked in a screaming-hot cast iron skillet for a charred peppered crust and finished with a Worcestershire pan sauce.

Crisp deep-fried curry puffs filled with cooked lamb, curry powder, and mango chutney syrup. A classic Anglo-Indian party appetizer that can be made ahead.

Southern fried chicken done Mom's way: flour-dredged pieces covered first for juicy meat, then uncovered and cranked up for a shatter-crisp golden crust.

Mom's homemade apple pie pairs a flaky shortening crust with canned apple filling for a from-scratch taste in half the time. Brushed with milk and dusted with sugar, the top crust bakes up golden and crackly.

Crusty no-knead Dutch oven bread loaded with cornmeal, corn grits, millet, and whole wheat. An overnight rise builds deep flavor and a crackling, golden crust.

Crustless turkey and rice quiche with mozzarella, fresh tomato, basil, and green pepper. A lighter leftover turkey recipe with a rice base instead of pastry crust.

Kentucky fried chicken copycat with paprika, ground mustard, thyme, basil, oregano, and Jamaica ginger. Fried golden then finished in foil for that takeout-style crisp crust.

Brisket with peppercorns marinated 24 hours in soy sauce, crusted with cracked black pepper, broiled until charred, then roasted to medium rare. Served thinly sliced at room temperature.