Text excerpted from HOW TO BAKE EVERYTHING, 2016 by Mark Bittman.

Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Olive Oil Cake (with Creamy Lemon Glaze)
MAKES: 12 to 16 servings
TIME: 45 minutes
Olive oil cake is rich and dense, but the flavor is nuanced and light. Its a simple but
sophisticated dessert to serve for company; plus its incredibly easy to make: Dump
the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and youre good to go. Use good olive
oilits floral, grassy, or citrus notes will shine through in every bite. Top the cake
with fruit pure (page 572), Orange Marmalade (page 575), or Vanilla or Lemon
Glaze (page 567).
Cupcakes made from olive oil batter, which take only 15 minutes to bake, are a
refreshing change from the usual.
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
cup fresh lemon juice
cup milk
1. Heat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with a little
of the olive oil you will be using in the cake. Add a parchment circle and oil it. In a
medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set
aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk
and beat until well combined. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the
dry ingredients and stir until smooth with no large lumps of flour.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the
center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15
minutes before removing the outer ring and letting it finish cooling on a rack.
4. Glaze if you like (see the headnote for suggestions). Store at room temperature,
covered with plastic wrap, for up to 4 days.
COCONUT OIL CAKE A rich, dense cake thats part fruit, part nutty: Substitute
coconut oil for the olive oil and coconut milk for the milk. Add 1 cup shredded
unsweetened coconut and omit the lemon zest. Fold the coconut in with the dry
ingredients. Bake for up to 45 minutes.

LIMESESAME OIL CAKE The intense, roasted flavor of sesame oil is brightened
with a hint of lime: Substitute cup sesame oil and cup neutral oil, like
grapeseed or corn, for the olive oil. Substitute lime zest for the lemon zest.
RASPBERRYOLIVE OIL TORTE Fruity olive oil is the perfect base for a berry addin: Use 3 eggs instead of 4. Omit the lemon juice and increase the milk to cup.
Add 4 tablespoons ( stick) melted butter to the wet ingredients. Fold 2 cups
raspberries (frozen are fine) into the finished batter.
ALMONDANISEOLIVE OIL CAKE A classic biscotti combination translated into
cake: Omit the lemon zest and juice. Increase the milk to cup. Add teaspoon
almond extract to the wet ingredients and fold 1 tablespoon aniseeds into the
finished batter.
GRAPEFRUITOLIVE OIL CAKE Substitute 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest for the
lemon zest and grapefruit juice for the lemon juice.
BOOZY OLIVE OIL CAKE A citrus liqueur is a sophisticated substitution for lemon
juice: Substitute Cointreau or Grand Marnier for the lemon juice.
------------------No-Knead Bread
MAKES: 1 large loaf
TIME: 24 hours, almost entirely unattended
Since I first shared this innovation the word recipe does not do the technique
justicein the New York Times in 2006, thousands of people have made it. For
many, it was their first foray into bread baking, the one that showed that the
process isnt scary, although the end result is so good that experienced bakers too
have tried and fallen in love with it. It came from Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street
Bakery in New York City, who created a way to make a spectacular loaf at home,
with a crackling crust, open-holed crumb, light texture, and fantastic flavor all
with next to no hands-on time. Perhaps the best sign of a good recipe: many have
tinkered with it endlessly. Ive listed a few of my favorite ideas for no-knead dough
below and on the next page, but dont stop there. You can even use it for pizza(page
544). A wet dough and slow fermentation are the keysto success; almost by magic,
they take the place of kneading (see The Science Behind No-Knead Bread,
opposite). Youll also notice the unique baking method a heated covered pot
which creates essentially an oven within an oven to trap steam as the bread bakes.
Im not kidding when I say the results will blow your mind.
The only thing required is forethought. Ideally, you will start the dough about 24
hours before you plan to eat it; you can cut that to 12 and even 9 (see the first

variation), but youll be sacrificing some of the yeasty flavor and open crumb.
4 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
Scant 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
Cornmeal, semolina, or wheat bran for dusting
1. Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add2 cups water (it should be
about 70F) and stir until blended. Youll have a shaggy, sticky dough; add a little
more water if it seems dry. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest
for about 18 hours at room temperature (a couple of hours less if your kitchen is
warmer; a couple more if its cool). The dough is ready when its surface is dotted
with bubbles.
2. Lightly flour a work surface, transfer the dough to it, and fold it once or twice; it
will be soft but not terribly sticky once dusted with flour. Cover loosely with plastic
wrap and let rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough additional flour to keep the dough from sticking, gently and
quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton (not terry cloth)
kitchen towel with cornmeal, semolina, or wheat bran (or use a silicone baking mat);
put the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with more flour or cornmeal.
Cover with another cotton towel (or plastic wrap) and let rise for about 2 hours.
When its ready, the dough will be more than doubled in size and wont spring back
readily when poked with your finger.
4. At least a half hour before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450F. Put a 3- to
4-quart covered pot (with the cover ) it may be cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or
ceramic in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the
pot from the oven and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. (See
illustration, next page: Slide your hand under the towel and just turn the dough over
into the pot; its messy, and it probably wont fall in artfully, but it will straighten out
as it bakes.) Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and
bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned; the breads
internal temperature should be 200F or more. (If at any point the dough starts to
smell scorched, lower the heat a bit.)Remove the bread with a spatula or tongs and
cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
FASTER NO-KNEAD BREAD Reduce the initial rise to 8 hours; skip the 15-minute
resting period in Step 2 and then shape the dough in Step 3. Proceed immediately
to Step 4.
WHOLE WHEAT NO-KNEAD BREAD Substitute whole wheat flour for up to 2 cups
of the all-purpose flour. You wont get quite as much rise, and the bread will be
slightly denser but full flavored.

NO-POT NO-KNEAD BOULE Forget about the pot. Instead of doing the second rise
on a cloth, do it on a floured pizza peel (if baking on a stone) or a parchment-lined
baking sheet. After the dough has risen, put a baking stone on a low rack in the
oven and a cast-iron skillet on the bottom of the oven and heat the oven to 450F.
When the oven is hot, dust the stone with cornmeal, then slide the dough from the
peel onto the stone (or put the baking sheet in the oven). Pour 1 cup hot water into
the skillet. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, turning halfway through, or until the crust is
golden brown.

Flourless Chocolate Almond Cookies

MAKES: 3 to 4 dozen
TIME: About 45 minutes
Sugar and egg whites make this rich, fudgy cookie crisp and glossy on the outside
and nice and chewy when you bite into it. Its simple and endlessly adaptable, so
use any nut and just about any flavor you like, from coffee to dried fruit see
below for some ideas.
3 cups confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 egg whites at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy; add the vanilla and beat for
another minute. Gradually add the nuts and the sugar mixture, stirring until a loose,
sticky dough forms.
3. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, since these cookies can be very sticky.
Use a spoon to drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto the sheets about 3
inches apart; keep the cookies small, as the dough spreads quite a bit. Bake until
hardened on the outside, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the
sheets, then remove with a spatula. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving if
you like. These will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
MOCHA-PECAN COOKIES Add 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder to the sugar
and cocoa mixture. If you like, chop 4 ounces dark chocolate and add that with the
nuts.
WALNUT SPICE COOKIES Use walnuts instead of almonds. Substitute 1/2
teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, and 1/2 teaspoon allspice for the cocoa
powder.

PISTACHIO LEMON COOKIES Use pistachios for the nuts. Omit the cocoa powder;
stir 2 tablespoons each grated lemon zest and juice into the finished batter.
HAZELNUT COOKIES The Italian name for this cookie is brutti ma buoni, or "ugly
but good"; true on both counts: Omit the cocoa powder and use 4 cups hazelnuts.
After toasting them in the oven, rub the nuts in a tea towel to remove as much of
the skins as you can, then pulse them in a food processor with the sugar until finely
ground. If the dough is too wet for your liking, feel free to add more ground
hazelnuts.