Bread

Canola oil replaces butter in this light version of a classic.

The children of Jean Garry, wife of editor-in-chief William J. Garry, may have left home, but they come back at Christmas for their favorite bread. The recipe was given to Jean by her mother (who isn't Swedish, but never mind). The bread which is lightly flavored with aniseed and orange, makes great toast for stocking-searching time. Sometimes Jean bakes the loaves in nine-inch aluminum pie tins. After they cool, she puts the breads back into the tins and wraps them up in colorful cellophane for gift giving.

Make this bread, which is used in the Southwest Corn Bread Stuffing with Corn and Green Chilies and Southern Corn Bread Stuffing with Smoked Ham and Yams recipes, at least one day and up to two days ahead of time.

This bread uses a yeast starter that needs to be made at least one day ahead.

This pretty slaw with a celery seed and cider vinegar dressing is perfect for a Fourth of July picnic.

Our food editors especially liked the unusually soft and light texture of this oatmeal bread.

Like steamed Boston brown bread, this baked version is quickly mixed together and makes a dense, fragrant loaf. Rye bread flour is sold at natural foods stores, specialty food stores and some supermarkets.

Here's a popular starter at The American Restaurant in Kansas City.

This flavorful bread uses just a tad of canola oil instead of lots of butter.

This recipe was created to accompany Mozzarella, Arugula and Marinated Tomatoes on Focaccia .

"Coyotes Deli & Grill in Banff makes the most amazing blue corn bread," writes Donna Sanché of Toronto, Ontario. "My husband and I had dinner there not long ago, and enjoyed the entire meal — but the corn bread was definitely the highlight. I've told all of my friends about it, and now I'd like to make it for them." This sweet corn bread is best served warm. If you can't find blue cornmeal, don't worry: Yellow cornmeal works well, too.

Schiacciata means "flattened down," and in Tuscany the term generally refers to flatbread—what everyone else in Italy calls focaccia. During the wine-grape harvest, Tuscans make a not-too-sweet dessert or snack of bread dough and grapes, said to be of Etruscan origin. Realistically, at this time of year in the United States it will be hard to find a grape flavorful enough for this recipe. If you can't find great grapes, save this recipe for next autumn, when Concord grapes are in season, and substitute the almond cookie recipe.