Bread

It is no coincidence that the method used to bake this bread, steaming, is similar to one used by the native Indians of New England, who taught us how to use corn as a grain for bread. The most famous of our region's breads, this wholesome blend of wheat, rye, and corn flours is suitable for our diets today as it was 300 years ago.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

Called limpa in Sweden, this impressive bread is flavored with a combination of molasses, orange peel, crushed aniseed, and caraway and fennel seeds.

Don't be put off by what might look like a complicated technique. It takes more time to describe how to make Parma braids than it does to actually assemble them. Slightly salty and very buttery, these savory croissants are hard to resist. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 18 hr

To make this bread easier to prepare, shape the dough into two loaves after the second rising instead of forming braided loaves, as is traditional. Place each loaf in a buttered 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and continue as per recipe.

Bake some of these for the holidays, too.

Start this at least one day before serving.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cornmeal in the dough gives the bread an appealing, slightly crunchy texture.

This recipe originally accompanied Corn Bread Succotash Stuffing . The corn bread also can be served on its own.

(Pompe à l'Huile)

An especially easy baking powder version of the traditional yeast-leavened cornmeal and molasses bread. We've used buttermilk instead of water to give the loaf moistness and tang.

Serve this with chicken salad.

Chapati or Roti This is the basic bread of India—it is made every day in North Indian homes. Its smooth, soft, and very pliable texture comes from the finely ground whole wheat flour. Only water is added to make the dough. It is then rolled into thin rounds ranging in size from four to eight inches (the size varies from state to state) and baked on a griddle. It takes a bit of practice to learn to roll the dough properly. Don't worry if your first few batches are not perfectly round, or if they don't roll out to the full size indicated. With practice you will soon master this technique. In the meantime, the bread will still taste good, even if doesn't look perfect.

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 25 min