We've made the starter. We've kept it alive. Now it's finally time to make bread! This is the sourdough recipe I make at home at 7,500 feet.

The first step is your sourdough starter. A starter is simply flour and water that you allow to ferment. As it ferments, naturally occurring wild yeast and bacteria (the good kind of bacteria!) begin to grow and multiply.

When I stopped working full time, I had time on my hands and I wanted to fill it with fun, educational, and fulfilling things. My husband, CC, and I took a short trip to Nebraska and on that trip a friend and I decided to begin a sourdough journey together. I had no idea what I was getting myself into!

The same recipe that works perfectly at sea level can behave very differently in a mountain kitchen. Cakes collapse. Cookies spread into pancakes. Pasta takes longer to cook. Food dries out faster. Let’s get into the science of why.