655 water recipes

A simple overnight yeast sponge starter made with just flour, water, and active dry yeast. The base for flavorful homemade bread with better texture and deeper taste.

Eggplant and pasta shells in a tomato-wine sauce with mushrooms, green pepper, red onion, and oregano. An oil-free vegetarian pasta sauteed in water and vinegar.

Garden dill pickles with garlic, mustard seed, and a salty vinegar brine. Easy water-bath canning recipe that turns a glut of summer cucumbers into pantry pickles.

Italian giardiniera pickled vegetables with red peppers, cauliflower, wax beans, squash, radish, carrots, and onion in a basil-garlic brine. Water-bath canned for long pantry storage.

White sangria built on dry white wine, cinnamon simple syrup, sparkling water, and citrus and apple slices for a chilled summer pitcher that pours light and crisp.

Diabetic pumpkin custard: a sugar-free single-serve pumpkin custard sweetened with saccharin and baked in a water bath. A light fall dessert for anyone watching carbs.

Golden saffron cake with rose water and pistachios, soaked in vanilla sugar syrup and cut into diamonds like baklava. A fragrant Middle Eastern-inspired low-fat dessert.

A milk-based sourdough starter jump-started with yeast: flour, water and yeast left to ferment, then enriched with milk, sugar and flour. Keep it in the fridge and feed it after each use for ongoing baking.

Flaky pastry tart crust made with grapefruit soda instead of water. A 4-ingredient shortening crust that blind bakes golden in 20 minutes. The carbonation keeps the dough light and tender.

Frijoles de la olla are Mexican pot beans cooked from dried pintos with just water and salt. Partially mashed for a thick, creamy sauce and served with warm flour tortillas and salsa.

Red pepper relish made with sweet red bell peppers, sugar, and vinegar, cooked thick and water bath canned. A classic sweet pepper relish for hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches.

Sourdough starter built from active dry yeast, sugar, flour, and water in 2-3 days. A reliable shortcut starter for tangy sourdough breads without waiting weeks for wild yeast.

Sourdough biscuits from starter: old-fashioned fermented biscuits with a tangy, tender crumb, naturally leavened from a flour-and-water sponge and lifted with a touch of baking soda. Pioneer-style comfort.

A creamy, tangy tahini sauce blended from sesame paste, garlic, lemon juice, and water in 10 minutes. The essential Middle Eastern drizzle for falafel, shawarma, and roasted vegetables.

No-cook couscous made by steeping the dry pasta in boiling water or broth off the heat. Five minutes of prep, 30 minutes of patience, and you have fluffy couscous ready for any North African dish.

Chinese-style brown gravy for egg foo yung made with meat stock, soy sauce, and cornstarch. A simple three-ingredient sauce ready in minutes.