If you’re anything like 95 percent of the U.S., you’re spending a majority (if not all) of your time confined to your home because of the COVID-19 outbreak. That means that you’re probably only leaving if you have an essential job, to get groceries, or pick up prescriptions. If you’re working from home, you might not even leave at all, instead opting to get everything you need delivered. This should include all the ingredients to make your own baked goods. But, since you only have a certain amount of free time between work, naps, and Netflix binges, you probably need some simple baking recipes to lower your stress levels. Well, we’re here to help. Check out our favorite extremely simple baking recipes below and bake your way to a better mood today.
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Easy Baked Goods
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Banana Bread
There are few baked goods more popular than banana bread during the quarantine. Maybe because it’s delicious and warming or maybe you just forgot to eat all of your bananas. Either way, everyone is making it.
Recipe:
3-4 ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate chips (if you like)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix salt, flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl. In another bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Once combined, stir in the vanilla, oil, cinnamon, and mashed bananas. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until everything is mixed together with no lumps (besides the bananas). Stir in a handful of chocolate chips as well if that’s something you’re into. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes.
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Fry Bread
If you’re all out of bread or you’d just enjoy a nice fried, crispy bread to pile on all of your favorite sandwich ingredients or a fresh take on avocado toast, this is the recipe for you. Simple, easy, straightforward, and delicious.
Recipe:
4 cups flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons salt
2 cups oil (vegetable, canola, peanut, whatever you fry with)
Directions:
Fill frying pan with 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat to 365 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and milk until there are no lumps. Form it into balls before patting them into flat, rounds. Add 3-4 of these flat, tortilla-like pieces of dough to the pan. When the they begin to bubble, flip each over and cook until golden brown. Put them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil and serve.
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Homemade Pizza
If you haven’t left your house in a month, you also might be weary of ordering food. Even though it’s likely fine, you just have an image of someone sneezing on your takeout right before it’s wrapped up. By now, you’re probably missing pizza and this recipe is perfect for you.
Recipe:
1 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
All the toppings you enjoy on pizza
Directions:
Preheat your over to 450 degrees. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Let foam for 10 minutes. Slowly stir in salt, oil, and flour. Let it set for 5 minutes. Dump the dough onto flour-covered surface and roll into a disc that looks like a pizza. Move the pizza crust to a greased pan. Add your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
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Sweet Dinner Rolls
If you’re having a tough, boring time at home during the quarantine and you want something that’s doughy, fresh, and sweet (but not too sweet), then these rolls are perfect for you.
Recipe:
1 cup milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions:
Begin by heating milk, sugar, and butter on the stove over medium heat in a saucepan. Heat until warm and remove from heat before stirring in yeast. Let it sit and foam for 10 minutes. While waiting, mix together flour and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil, and warmed yeast mixture. Mix everything together thoroughly until doughy. Dump the bowl onto a flour-covered surface and knead the dough until it’s springy and smooth. Add oil to a bowl and put the dough ball into it and coat it with oil. Cover it and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour while it rises. Grease a cookie sheet and make the dough into 12 equal balls and place them in the pan. Let them rise again for 30 minutes and then cook at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
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Brownies
If you’re anything like us, one of the worst aspects of home confinement is the lack of chocolate. We need that sweet, rich flavor in our lives and if we don’t get it soon, we’re going to lose it. Luckily, when we feel the urge to scream at the top of our lungs into the unending abyss, we just make this easy brownie recipe.
Recipe:
1 cup melted butter
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, salt, baking powder, and flour. Add chocolate chips if you’re into that sort of thing. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Put it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
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Yeast-Free Bread
If you’re anything like us, you’ve been unable to find any yeast when ordering your grocery delivery in the last few weeks. This simple, delicious bread doesn’t even require any yeast and we’re pretty happy about that.
Recipe:
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
10 1/2 ounces water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions:
Preheat your over to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine baking powder, salt, and flour. Add water and oil and stir until combined. Dump the dough onto a flour-covered surface and form into 1.5-inch-thick disc. Using a knife, score an ‘X’ into the dough. Put the dough on a pizza stone and put it in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
