Alice Taylor shares cheap, simple bread and muffin recipes that can be adapted to include whatever you have in the fridge. No supermarket visit required.
The world is now bombarded by an endless stream of recipes. Social media, cookbooks, websites and television shows offer more kitchen inspiration than ever before. While that should make cooking easier, it can sometimes have the opposite effect. When there are thousands of recipes to choose from, deciding what to cook can feel overwhelming.
Do we really need a completely different recipe for lemon cake and orange cake? Is pizza dough really that different from bread dough? And how many muffin recipes does one person truly need?
Over time I've become passionate about honing a much simpler approach. Instead of constantly searching for new recipes, I'm building a small collection of reliable base recipes that can be adapted in dozens of ways. One recipe can become many meals with just a few small changes.
When money is tight, this approach is even more valuable. Cooking from flexible base recipes means you can use whatever ingredients you already have in the cupboard or fridge, rather than buying something new for every dish. Plus, if you're anything like me, you go to the supermarket intending to buy one thing and somehow leave with five, with one of those being a block of chocolate that was definitely not on the list. Fewer supermarket trips equals substantial savings!
Below are two of my favourite building blocks for the kitchen. They're simple, inexpensive and endlessly versatile.
Receipe: Basic muffins
You can add almost any flavour you like to these basic muffins. The batch pictured features pear and white chocolate, but you can easily substitute whatever you have on hand.
Makes: 12 muffins; Cost: about $1.90 for the base mixture (plus flavourings); Time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Base mixture
½ cup sugar
½ cup oil (such as sunflower oil) or melted butter
½ cup yoghurt
½ cup milk
1 egg
2 cups plain flour (or gluten free flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Flavour ideas
This is where you get creative with whatever's in your fridge. Some easy options include:
½ cup white chocolate and 2 diced pears
2 tablespoons cocoa powder for chocolate muffins
1-2 mashed bananas
A handful of chocolate chips (these team well with the cocoa or banana)
A handful of frozen or fresh berries (also good with one mashed banana)
1-2 diced apples with a pinch of cinnamon
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases (or grease the holes well).
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, yoghurt, milk and egg until smooth.
Add the flour and baking powder. Fold gently until just combined.
Stir through your chosen flavourings.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cases.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Once you have this base recipe, the possibilities are endless. One week it might be banana muffins for breakfast, the next it could be chocolate chip for lunchboxes, or apple and cinnamon for afternoon tea.
Recipe: The easiest, cheapest, most versatile bread
As a pastry chef, I know just how complicated the world of bread can be. There are countless techniques, flour types, hydration levels and fermentation methods that professionals can spend years learning.
What most of us really need is one reliable dough that works every time and can be turned into many different things – a loaf for toast, pizza for dinner, scrolls for lunchboxes, even burger buns. This bread recipe is exactly that. It's soft, hearty and incredibly affordable. There's no mixer required, no complicated technique. Just simple ingredients and a bit of patience while the dough rises.
Total cost: about $1.50; Servings: 1 large loaf (6 to 8 slices)
Prep time: 10 minutes; Rise time: 60 to 90 minutes; Cook time: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
10g active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
⅓ cup warm water
2 cups (500 ml) room temperature water
800g flour (high grade, plain or wholemeal)
½ teaspoon salt
METHOD
In a large bowl combine the yeast, a pinch of sugar and the warm water. Leave for a few minutes until frothy.
Add the remaining water, flour and salt. Mix together and knead for about 2 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Place the dough into a lined loaf tin or any baking dish you have. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 1 to 1½ hours, until roughly doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until the loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Allow to cool slightly before slicing. It is excellent served warm with butter.
One dough: many options
The above recipe can be reworked in multiple ways.
Pizza bread
After the dough has risen, press it to an oiled baking tray. Top with tomato sauce, cheese and whatever toppings you like. Let proof for 10 more minutes. Bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes until golden.
Bread scrolls
Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread with pesto, tomato paste or cheese, then roll it up like a log. Slice into rounds, proof until double in size, and bake in a tray until golden.
Burger buns
Add about 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the dough when mixing. Divide the dough into small balls after kneading, shape into buns, proof, and bake for about 20 minutes.
Chef Alice Taylor posts cooking videos as @alicetayloreats on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
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