Bake better bread: That’s a goal for the New Year that we can stand behind. So we’ve collected our best bread recipes that won’t just save you a trip to the bakery. They will teach you some skills and expand your repertoire, too. From perfectly puffed pitas to savory skillet-browned sweet potato rolls and flatbread dough you can make in a food processor, there’s something for everyone.

Pita Bread

Chewy, perfectly puffed pita is easier than you think. We make our pita bread with whole-wheat flour for extra flavor and whole-milk yogurt for a chewy, tender texture. For that signature pocket, it matters how thinly you roll the dough. To see how it’s done, watch this episode of Milk Street TV.

Portuguese Cornbread (Broa)

Made with corn and rye flours, Portuguese cornbread—with its crusty exterior and dense, crumbly interior—is ingrained in Portugal’s culture. Though the dense, hearty loaf is traditionally made with cornflour, you can use finely ground cornmeal, too. Either way, slice and serve it with salted butter.

Pumpkin Seed Rolls

For rustic flavor and better texture than your average Parker House rolls, we recommend these, inspired by Kürbiskern Brötchen, a classic Bavarian bread. Gently shaping the dough into balls is the key to a better rise. (They’re best made fresh, but the seed-butter mixture can be prepped three days ahead and refrigerated. Just bring it to room temperature an hour before using.)

Flatbread (Pizza) Dough

The secret to this pillowy and tender dough is full-fat Greek yogurt. It’s the perfect base for pizza toppings or a za'atar spice blend for Middle Eastern–style flatbreads. Bonus: It’s a breeze to make in a food processor.

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Tomato-Olive Focaccia

A long rise and ample olive oil recreate the perfectly tender-crisp focaccia we had in Bari, Italy. We think it’s the best in the world. If you like, serve with extra-virgin olive oil for dipping.

Piadina

This is your answer for fresh homemade bread on a weeknight. A combination of lard and yogurt gives the dough its supple texture. (Vegetable shortening works as a substitute for lard if necessary, but for flavor, we recommend sticking with lard.)

Portuguese-Style Sweet Potato Rolls

Bolo de caco is a griddled bread that resembles an English muffin or thick pita bread round. We start our version off in a skillet to brown, then finish baking the rounds in the oven. The garlic-chive butter? A must.

Multigrain Soda Bread

Here, a clever shortcut turns this already quick bread into a positive speed demon: We soak grains in yogurt before mixing them into the dough, which eliminates the need to cook them.

Chinese Sesame Scallion Bread

Zhima dabing—which translates as “large sesame pancake”—is similar to a Chinese scallion pancake, but much larger and thicker, with a light, fluffier crumb. It’s crispy, chewy, salty and savory–and easily made in a skillet.

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