The 16 best recipes to bake in January
Citrus cake, brownie brittle, gooey Gruyère loaves, and more.
At the start of each year, I make a baking resolution: I set out to perfect one kind of baked good in the coming 12 months. In the past, I’ve focused on bagels, tortillas, and sourdough bread. This year, it’s chocolate chip cookies, which we just crowned our Recipe of the Year. Whether you’re trying to perfect something or just want a varied list of great things to bake this month, here are 16 of the best recipes to bake in January.
1) Brownie Brittle
Do you head straight for the corner piece when you see a pan of brownies? If you’re a fan of crunchy, crispy brownies, brownie brittle is going to be your go-to recipe when you need a chocolate fix. A simple brownie batter is mixed, spread into a thin layer on a half-sheet pan, and baked until perfectly crisp. It’s ideal for snacking or crumbling onto ice cream for a satisfying dessert.
Get the recipe: Brownie Brittle
Shop the recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend and Espresso Powder
2) Climate Blend Whole Wheat Scones
Perhaps you’re trying to make more environmentally conscious decisions in 2024. (We sure are thinking about our impact here at King Arthur.) Our regeneratively-grown Climate Blend Flour is milled from a combination of wheat varieties that promote soil health and conserve resources. It has a slightly nutty flavor similar to whole wheat and adds heartiness and whole grains to tender scones. Make these scones your own by adding up to 1 cup of mix-ins: dried fruit, chocolate chips, or nuts are all good options.
Get the recipe: Climate Blend Whole Wheat Scones
Shop the recipe: Regeneratively-Grown Climate Blend Flour
3) Gnocchi alla Romana (Semolina Gnocchi Gratin)
January is a time to cozy up with warm, comforting foods, like this creamy Gnocchi alla Romana. It’s made from semolina flour that’s cooked to a polenta-like consistency, chilled, and then cut into rounds. The slices are layered in a 9" x 13" pan and covered with cheese, gratin-style. The whole thing bakes until it’s melty and golden brown.
Get the recipe: Gnocchi alla Romana (Semolina Gnocchi Gratin)
Shop the recipe: Semolina Flour
4) Spiced Baked Doughnuts
You can still make doughnuts even if you don’t have a doughnut pan (yet!) or you don’t feel like frying — all you need is this recipe for Spiced Baked Doughnuts. The yeasted dough is easy to work with; it gets rolled out like biscuit dough and then stamped out using round cutters. The risen doughnuts are baked on a sheet pan, then brushed with butter and dipped in a combination of sugar and spice for a sweet exterior.
Get the recipe: Spiced Baked Doughnuts
Shop the recipe: Whole Wheat Flour and Nutmeg
5) Dutch Crunch Rolls
If you want to up your sandwich game in 2024, Dutch Crunch Rolls are the bread to make. They originated in California, where they are still hugely popular, and get a flavor and texture boost from a sweet flour paste that’s spooned onto the exterior of each roll before it bakes. The result is a tender roll with a crunchy crown — ideal for sandwiches or eating on its own.
Get the recipe: Dutch Crunch Rolls
Shop the recipe: Unbleached Bread Flour
6) Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancakes)
Eating more vegetables in the year ahead is easy when they come in the form of savory pancakes. Thin, crêpe-like Korean Pajeon are packed with scallions, held together by a small amount of batter. The batter cooks quickly in a skillet on the stovetop, so you can have fresh, hot savory pancakes for dinner or breakfast. Make them with scallions, and then get creative and try other vegetables like grated cabbage, carrot, or sweet potatoes.
Get the recipe: Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancakes)
Shop the recipe: Scone and Muffin Scoop
7) Small-Batch Cinnamon Rolls
This small-batch recipe is ideal for bakers who want to make fluffy, homemade cinnamon rolls without lots of leftovers. It’s perfectly scaled to yield two tall, frosting-covered buns: one for you, and one for a sweetheart or lucky friend. (Or maybe another one for you later.)
Get the recipe: Small-Batch Cinnamon Rolls
Shop the recipe: Vietnamese Cinnamon
8) London Fog Cake
Fans of the milky, black tea-based London Fog will fall in love with this pound cake version of the classic hot drink. The cake is beautifully speckled with ground black tea leaves and scented with citrus thanks to a dash of orange oil in the batter. A thick, luscious glaze that uses dried whole milk for extra-creamy flavor is poured over the top of the cake for an elegant finish. Serving it with a hot London Fog is optional but extra delicious.
Get the recipe: London Fog Cake
Shop the recipe: Dried Whole Milk and Tea Loaf Pan
9) Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
You don’t need to master pie crust (though you can and should!) to make homemade pot pie, thanks to this version that uses an easy biscuit topping. The creamy, savory base has all the staples of the best pot pies: cream sauce, chicken, and vegetables. Assemble it all in a beautiful Dutch oven that can go straight from the oven to the table.
Get the recipe: Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
Shop the recipe: Sublime Dutch Oven
10) Citrus Surprise Grapefruit Cake
January is a time to embrace the brightness of citrus. Make sure to stock up on beautifully colored grapefruits; eat them on their own (or with a drizzle of maple syrup) and make sure to save some for this stunning cake. The earthy flavor of white whole wheat flour complements the citrus and balances out the frosting. (We like Cream Cheese Frosting on this cake.)
Get the recipe: Citrus Surprise Grapefruit Cake
Shop the recipe: White Whole Wheat Flour
11) Spicy Kimchi Cheddar Bread
Trying to lean into making more dinners at home this year? Put cozy comfort food on the menu with this cheesy quick bread. It comes together in no time because there’s no yeast — just baking powder and baking soda. It’s also packed with flavor and texture: The kimchi liquid is used in the batter to ensure the tangy taste comes through in every bite, and the bread itself is encrusted in a layer of sesame seeds for extra crunch.
Get the recipe: Spicy Kimchi Cheddar Bread
Shop the recipe: 8" Square Pan
12) Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Cake
This snickerdoodle-inspired cake is quick, easy, and ideal for snacking on all day long. The simple cake batter is mixed in one bowl and then chocolate chips are folded in. The pan and top of the batter are dusted with cinnamon sugar for an unfussy but tasty garnish that makes this cake reminiscent of a spiced snickerdoodle cookie.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Cake
Shop the recipe: Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
13) Garlic Bread Pizza
Garlic Bread Pizza combines two of the most universally loved foods into one ultimate dish: garlic bread and pizza. Make your own ciabatta bread (or use store-bought for a shortcut) and then make a buttery, salty, cheesy, garlicky topping to slather over the top. Add slices of pepperoni if you like, or simply embrace the combination of tomatoes, garlic, and cheese on top of crispy, crunchy bread.
Get the recipe: Garlic Bread Pizza
Shop the recipe: Boyajian Garlic Oil
14) Cinnamon-Sugar Crunch Bagels
We’ve got Recipe of the Year on our minds since our 2024 recipe, Supersized, Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, just made its debut. This sweet bagel recipe is a twist on our 2022 Recipe of the Year — Ultimate Sandwich Bagels — and the well-loved Cinnamon Crunch Bagel from Panera. It’s distinguished by its spectacularly crunchy crust, made from a streusel topping that shatters with every bite and includes coarse sparkling sugar for a sprinkle-like crunch.
Get the recipe: Cinnamon-Sugar Crunch Bagels
Shop the recipe: Cinnamon Sweet Bits and Coarse Sparkling Sugar
15) Classic Kouign-Amann (Breton Butter Cake)
If you’re snowed in and want a baking project, give this traditional French cake a whirl. Kouign-amann translates to “butter cake,” and for good reason. Like a croissant, it’s made by layering dough with sheets of butter, creating delicate layers that melt in your mouth — but with the pleasant addition of sugar in each of those layers. This recipe is a great place to start if you’re new to laminated doughs, as it’s surprisingly forgiving.
Get the recipe: Classic Kouign-Amann (Breton Butter Cake)
Shop the recipe: SAF Instant Yeast and Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
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16) Gruyère-Stuffed Crusty Loaves
Filled with melty Gruyère cheese and pizza seasoning, these crusty loaves are just what every dinner table needs. I like to utilize the long rest option included at the bottom of the recipe page so I can more easily fit this recipe into my schedule.
Get the recipe: Gruyère-Stuffed Crusty Loaves
Shop the recipe: Pizza Dough Flavor
For more recipes to bake this winter, check out our collection of Extraordinary Bread recipes.
Cover photo (Small-Batch Cinnamon Rolls) by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
Additional contributions from Laura Scaduto.
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