Last February, I hosted a bread-making workshop led by the folks at Sour Flour for the Stanford Club of San Francisco. Since then, GC and I have started making all our bread at home.

Although there are only four ingredients in a basic loaf— flour, water, salt, and the starter (which provides the yeast)— baking bread takes skill and small subtleties can make a huge difference. I recommend taking a look at the following resources:

• Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson
• Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza by Ken Forkish
• The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart