Rolls

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

My mom (the "Jill" of this recipe) used to make lots of finger foods when I was younger. These were always a big hit. Easy to make, easy to love, these snacks are equally at home at a fancy dinner party as they are during the Super Bowl. You can experiment with this recipe to alter the taste: Use vegetable or flavored cream cheese, or any other kind of easily spreadable cheese (I like that Alouette herb cheese a lot).

(Soft White Rolls)

Anadama bread recipes, which date back to pre-Revolutionary New England, all call for molasses and cornmeal for substantial- and delicious- results. This contemporary rendition is no exception.

Cumin flavors a variety of foods, including breads, in southwestern cooking. Make the dough for these rolls one or two days ahead, and let it rise in the refrigerator.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 3 hr.

A touch of cardamom lends subtle spice to these innovative crescent-shaped rolls.

Potatoes lend moistness, and caraway seeds and onions--two ingredients favored by German, Scandinavian and Eastern European immigrants--add flavor to these traditionally shaped rolls.

These fresh-from-the-oven rolls are made with frozen bread dough.

Pletzel This onion bread — whether formed into individual rolls or, as we did here, into a flat loaf (similar to Italian focaccia) — can be found in Jewish bakeries all over New York City's Lower East Side. We used nigella seeds (often called black onion seeds, although that's a misnomer), with their subtle nutty flavor, for the topping instead of the more typical poppy seeds. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr