Bread
Cachapa (Sweet Corn Pancake with Cheese)
A Venezuelan corn pancake: fresh corn blended coarse, griddled thick, then folded over fresh cheese. The batter is essentially just corn, so tinned corn won't do — and because the corn is sweet, it has to be cooked slowly over medium-low heat.
Sel Roti (Sweet Rice Ring Bread)
A Nepali festival bread: rice soaked overnight, ground with sugar, banana and cardamom, then poured in a single stream into hot oil to fry as a ring. Made in quantity for Tihar and Dashain and eaten over several days. Crisp outside, chewy within — and it all comes down to the batter's consistency.
Arepas
A staple of Colombia and Venezuela — round corn cakes griddled until golden and crisp outside, soft inside. The dough is just three things: masarepa, water, and salt. Spread with butter, or split and stuffed with cheese, egg, or meat.
Naan
India's beloved leavened flatbread, made soft and chewy with yogurt in the dough. No tandoor needed — a screaming-hot skillet bakes it beautifully at home. Perfect for scooping up butter chicken and curries.
Khachapuri (Cheese Bread)
A boat of bread heaped with salty cheese and crowned with a runny egg and butter — Georgia's iconic Adjaruli khachapuri. Swirl the yolk, butter, and cheese together and tear off the bread to dip: as dramatic to look at as it is comforting to eat.
Pao de Queijo (Cheese Bread)
Crisp outside and chewy inside, these Brazilian cheese breads are made from tapioca starch and cheese. Naturally gluten-free with no wheat flour, you just mix, roll, and bake — a Brazilian breakfast and snack-time staple.
Scones
A quick British tea-time bake of flour, butter, and milk. Rubbing in cold butter and barely mixing gives the flaky lift — best served warm with jam and clotted cream.
Croissant (Laminated Pastry)
France's emblematic laminated pastry — shatteringly crisp on the outside, honeycomb-airy within. This viennoiserie takes time and patience, but a freshly baked one is worth every fold.