12 Ways To Step Up Your Bread Game

There's nothing better than fresh baked bread: from the smell, to the appearance, to the taste – it's all so great! And because nothings beats homemade bread, here are 12 creative ways to spruce up your loaves.

Homemade Dough Recipe

You'll Need:

• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• ¾ cup water, room temperature
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1½ oz fresh yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6¼ cups all-purpose flour

Here's How:

Mix the milk and water in a bowl, stir in the sugar and yeast, and wait 10 minutes. Add the salt, vegetable oil, and flour and knead into a smooth dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.

1. Maze Bread Loaf

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it a little bit. Dust two forks with flour and secure them together with a rubber band. Use the fork contraption to pull the dough upwards in several places so that a uniform pattern is created. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes.

2. Tread Bread Loaf

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly "quarter" it with unflavored floss. Use scissors to cut the dough lengthwise and crosswise left and right along the lines. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes.

3. Checkered Bread Loaf

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Shape the dough into an oval, dust it with flour, and let sit for 30 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut the loaf diagonally from left to right and right to left to create the checkered pattern. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes.

4. Leaf Bread Loaf

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Shape the dough into a ball and roll half out from the center with a rolling pin. Cut out some of the the rolled-out dough surface with a glass to create a leaf shape. Fold this half of the dough up to the unrolled half and use a sharp knife to cut the leaf lines into the dough. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes.

5. Spiral Bread Loaf

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Shape the dough into a ball and use a pizza cutter to make a spiral from the center out. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes.

6. Spiderweb Bread Loaf

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Shape the dough into a ball, dust a spider skimmer with flour, and press it into the center of the dough. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes.

7. Stuffed Diamond Bread Roll

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Cut a 4" x 4" square out of the rolled-out dough and make 4 incisions on each side. Mix diced apples with cinnamon and applesauce and spoon 1 tablespoon of the apple mixture onto the lower half of the square. Fold the top half of the dough over the apple mixture and alternately fold the dough strips from the left and right over the middle. Bake for 10 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes.

8. Bowtie Bread Roll

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Cut a 3-inch circle out of the rolled-out dough. Cut it twice below and once above. Fold the two tops down, press them together, and turn them slightly outwards. Fold up the bottom strip of dough and press it down a little. Bake for 10 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 10 minutes.

9. Flower Bread Roll

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Cut out a long horizontal strip of dough that's approximately 8 inches long and 1 inch high. Make partial incisions at regular intervals and roll up the strip of dough. Bake for 10 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

10. Rose Bread Roll

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Cut a 5-inch circle out of the rolled-out dough, make 4 evenly-spaced incisions around the circle, and place a small dough ball in the middle. Fold up the cut sections so it looks like a rose. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20 minutes.

11. Star Bread Roll

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Roll out the dough and use a glass to cut out 7 even circles. Cut each circle once in a vertical line from the center to the bottom. Roll up the circles one by one and assemble all 7 into a flower. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20 minutes.

12. Dinner Roll Bread Wreath

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Cut out a 10-inch circle from the thinly rolled out dough and cut the circle in a star shape starting from the center. Make sure the cuts end just before the edge. Place 8 dough balls around the edge and fold the tips towards and over the balls. Bake for 15 minutes at 475°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes.

Which delicious recipe will you try first? If you're looking for more great bread ideas, you can find the recipe for the Nutella Wreath featured in the bonus video here.