Apple Fig Bread Pudding with Maple Walnut Sauce

Maria considers her bread pudding — which she makes to use up stale bread — "somewhat of a Portuguese dish given that it's been born out of the judicious use of food." The recipe also calls for dried figs, a plentiful fruit in Portugal. "The maple syrup," says Maria, "gives it that extra bit of sweetness and decadence," and honours Canada, the country where she's lived most of her life.

Figure 8 Baltic Birthday Bread

Gisela Fleich of Mount Brydges, Ont., is from Estonia, where this special bread is as common for birthday celebrations as chocolate cake is in Canada. Her children appreciate being feted with this taste of heritage baking, and Gisela also surprises friends of Estonian background on their birthdays.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Easy Sandwich Bread

This Mediterranean-inspired bread makes delicious sandwiches, and is especially good for panini. For a pizza panini, fill with your favourite toppings, such as salami, sweet peppers and cheese. Or slice and serve this loaf with an antipasto or charcuterie platter.

Monkey Bread With Cinnamon Glaze

It seems no one really knows why this pull-apart loaf is called monkey bread. But we're not going to question something so delicious and fun to make! Balls of sweet yeast dough, dipped in butter and coated with cinnamon sugar, are piled high in a tube pan. The cinnamon drizzle is the icing on the cake, so to speak. 

Home-Style Caraway Rye Bread

This rustic bread has best results when baked on a baking stone. Heat the stone in the oven as it preheats. Use a cornmeal-dusted baker's peel to transfer the loaf to the stone just before baking. However, if you don't have a baking stone, you can still use a baking sheet. You can find stone-ground rye flour in bulk food stores.

Cheese and Herb Easy Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Cheese and thyme are a heavenly match in breads, especially when some is sprinkled over top to create a crunchy, addictive crust. Try it as the base for a wonderful grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

Chipotle Pulled Chicken on Corn Spoon Bread

Caroline Gray of Pointe-Claire, Que., won accolades and first place with her  Mexican-inspired recipe. Corn flour, which is finer than the usual cornmeal and closer to the texture of all-purpose flour, gives the bread its soft, appealing texture. It's available in grocery stores.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

Flecks of sweet sun-dried tomatoes and salty olives make this bread a must-bake. It's a perfect match for your favourite cold cuts, grilled vegetables and cheeses.

Rhubarb Bread Pudding with Honey Crème Anglaise

Toasted buttery croissants take this modest bread-based dessert to new heights. Use day-old croissants for the best results; you'll need six to eight in total. Layering the croissants and the rhubarb gives you a bit of everything in each bite. You can also substitute the same amount of thawed frozen rhubarb for the fresh—just thoroughly pat it dry.

Potato Bread