Yeast breads are the comforting loaves, rolls and buns most of us grew up with. They rise with commercial yeast, which makes them dependable, flexible and ideal for weeknight dinners and holiday tables. This category covers breads baked in pans or shaped by hand, from the simplest beginner loaf to rich, buttery enriched doughs.
What this category covers
The guides here include easy and no-knead loaves, sandwich bread, whole wheat and potato bread, dinner rolls and buns, challah, brioche, babka, cinnamon rolls, monkey bread, holiday breads, bagels, pretzels and English muffins. Crusty hearth loaves, pizza and flatbreads belong in Artisan Breads, and sourdough-leavened versions belong in Sourdough.
Main sub-topics
Enriched sweet breads
Enriched doughs contain butter, eggs, milk or sugar, which makes them soft, tender and rich. This sub-topic covers challah, brioche, babka, panettone, sweet rolls, cinnamon rolls, monkey bread and holiday breads, and explains how enrichment changes kneading, rising and baking.
Everyday yeast baking
Beyond the enriched sub-topic, this category also holds the everyday bread you bake again and again. Expect beginner and no-knead loaves, sandwich bread, dinner rolls, hamburger buns and breads shaped as bagels, pretzels or English muffins.
What to look for
Yeast dough is forgiving when you know the cues. Guides here point out how dough should look after mixing, how much it should grow, and how a finished loaf should feel and sound. When a recipe depends on a particular technique, such as shaping a braid or rolling a babka, we explain it step by step.
The articles listed below appear under their sub-topics as they are published.