The Four Ingredients
Bread is flour, water, salt, and yeast. That's the complete ingredient list. Everything else — seeds, herbs, cheese, olive oil — is optional.
Understanding what each of the four core ingredients does tells you most of what you need to know about why bread works.
Flour
Medium attentionProvides structure. When flour meets water, proteins in the flour (glutenin and gliadin) combine to form gluten — an elastic network that traps the gas bubbles produced by fermentation. No gluten, no rise. Bread flour has more protein than all-purpose; more protein means more gluten means more structure. Use bread flour when you can.
Water
Medium attentionActivates gluten formation and dissolves salt. Hydration (water as a percentage of flour weight) controls dough texture: lower hydration = stiffer, easier to handle; higher hydration = more open crumb, harder to shape. Most beginner recipes are 70–75% hydration. Temperature matters: water temperature is how you control dough temperature.
Salt
Low attentionStrengthens gluten, slows fermentation, and adds flavor. Without salt, bread tastes flat and the dough is slack and sticky. Too much salt kills the yeast. Standard range is 1.8–2.2% of flour weight. Measure by weight, not volume — salt density varies by type.
Yeast / Starter
High attentionProduces CO2 gas that makes bread rise. Commercial yeast is fast and predictable. Sourdough starter is slower, more complex in flavor, and requires maintenance. Both work. The key variable is activity — yeast that isn't active won't leaven bread. For sourdough, a ripe, active starter at peak is essential.