(Cook’s Illustrated)

6 1/4 oz. 7-grain hot cereal mix, 1 1/4 cups (Bob’s Red Mill or Arrowhead Mills brand)
20 oz. boiling water (2 1/2 cups)
15 oz. AP flour (3 cups), plus extra if needed
7 1/2 oz. whole wheat flour (1 1/2 cups)
4 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 Tbsp table salt
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (unsalted)
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats
Water or nonstick cooking spray

Place cereal mix in bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour. Whisk flours in medium bowl.

Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, add flours, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough forms ball, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3 to 4 minutes (if it does not clear sides, add 2 to 3 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and continue mixing); continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes. Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, taut ball. Place dough into greased container with 4-quart capacity; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and pat into 12 by 9-inch rectangle; cut dough in half crosswise with knife or bench scraper.

With short side facing you, starting at farthest end, roll dough piece into log. Keep roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go. Pinch seam gently with thumb and forefinger. Spray loaves lightly with water or nonstick cooking spray. Roll each dough log in oats to coat evenly. Place loaf seam-side down in greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes. (Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle.)

Bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire rack before slicing, about 3 hours.

(Cook’s Illustrated)

Table salt
1 whole chicken (3.5-4 lbs.), cut into 8 pieces (4 breast pieces, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks)
Ground black pepper
3 large heads garlic (about 8 ounces), outer papery skins removed, cloves separated and unpeeled
2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered pole to pole
1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp butter
Baguette (or bread of some sort)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 2 quarts cold tap water in large container or bowl; submerge chicken pieces in brine and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 30 minutes. Rinse chicken pieces under running water and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides of chicken pieces with pepper.

Meanwhile, toss garlic and shallots with 2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste in 9-inch pie plate; cover tightly with foil and roast until softened and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes, shaking pan once to toss contents after 15 minutes (foil can be left on during tossing). Uncover, stir, and continue to roast, uncovered, until browned and fully tender, 10 minutes longer, stirring once or twice. Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Using kitchen twine, tie together thyme, rosemary, and bay; set aside. Heat remaining 1-teaspoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; swirl to coat pan with oil. Brown chicken pieces skin-side down until deep golden, about 5 minutes; turn chicken pieces and brown until golden on second side, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate and discard fat; off heat, add vermouth, chicken broth, and herbs, scraping bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Set skillet over medium heat, add garlic/shallot mixture to pan, then return chicken, skin-side up, to pan, nestling pieces on top of and between garlic cloves.

Place skillet in oven and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers about 160 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. (If desired, increase heat to broil and broil to crisp skin, 3 to 5 minutes.) Remove skillet from oven and transfer chicken to serving dish. Remove 10 to 12 garlic cloves to mesh sieve and reserve; using slotted spoon, scatter remaining garlic cloves and shallots around chicken. Discard herbs. Force the reserved garlic cloves through sieve and into bowl; discard skins. Add garlic paste to skillet. Bring liquid to simmer over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally to incorporate garlic; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in butter; pour sauce into sauceboat and serve. Spread leftover roasted garlic on slices of baguette.

(Adapted from a yellow cake recipe in Cook’s Illustrated)

2 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/8 cup sifted cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 stick butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 tsp orange extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla with fork in small bowl; set aside. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed to blend, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running at lowest speed, add butter one piece at a time; mix until butter and flour begin to clump together and look sandy and pebbly, with pieces about the size of peas, 30 to 40 seconds after all butter is added. Add about 1/2 cup of egg mixture and mix at lowest speed until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add remaining egg mixture in slow steady stream, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat on medium-high until thoroughly combined and batter looks slightly curdled, about 15 seconds longer. Stir in the orange extract by hand.

Divide the batter equally among the cupcake liners. Bake for 12-18 minutes, or until the tops are light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for ten minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan. Cool completely on a rack before icing (say, with leftover Chocolate Satin Frosting).

(Adapted from The Joy of Cooking by Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times)

Vegetable oil for greasing pans
2 1/3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
6 ounces butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
Chocolate Satin Frosting

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and set aside. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla.

Using a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Over the course of 3 minutes, beat in the sugar. Over 2 minutes, add the egg mixture. Reduce the speed to low and alternate adding the flour and buttermilk in three parts, scraping the bowl.

Divide the batter between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then unmold onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.

To frost cake, place 1 layer on a cake plate, rounded side down, trimming if necessary so it lies flat. Spread with a third of the frosting, top with the second layer and frost the remainder of the cake.