This was the first recipe I tried from my anniversary present this year, Rose Beranbaum’s The Baking Bible. Though the recipe has three separate rising steps and called for vital wheat gluten (an ingredient I had never heard of before but that Wegman’s had in abundance), it felt easy due to the extremely detailed instructions Beranbaum provides. The resultant loaf was had a crisp crust and a delicate but richly flavored crumb.

English muffins aren’t something you normally make at home, and after running through Stella Park’s recipe on Serious Eats, I can understand the hesitation. Store-bought muffins are always fine but hardly seem worth planning the day ahead, which this recipe requires. While these muffins are cooked in the same manner as pancakes, they are naturally rather than chemically leavened and thus need to be left to rise overnight. The cripsy, butter-fried results have a rich and yeasty aroma reminiscent of a fresh baguette, but making them definitely tested my patience.