Even without toppings, these easy-to-make snacks boast plenty of flavor, thanks to the combination of starter and fine-ground cornmeal.

We use molasses-steeped strawberries to make a breakfast that's balanced with sour, sweet, and bitter flavors.

Serve this Sicilian focaccia-pizza hybrid with tomato sauce for dipping.

The classic spinach dip appetizer achieves new heights in this irresistibly cheesy appetizer from Mr. Digby's in San Francisco.

Pile plump mussels and a lemony fennel salad onto saffron aioli–brushed sourdough for this elegant appetizer.

This bread is Monika Walecka's ode to one of her favorite grains, rye, and has become her signature loaf at Cała W Mące in Warsaw. "Everything you sense while eating pure rye bread—lactic notes, sweetness, gentle spiciness, and rich fruity aroma—is here," she says. Cracked rye berries soaked in buttermilk, raisins, a dash of cinnamon, and cubes of heirloom apples that release their juices into the crumb while baking all make this loaf extra special. To be successful with this bread, you need to have a healthy sourdough starter, Walecka advises. Make sure you're using quality products—splurge on good organic buttermilk and raisins, cinnamon (preferably Sri Lankan), and some fine heirloom apples: "Go for russets, but you might have something else around." If you have trouble finding cracked rye berries, you can crack rye berries at home using a food processor (or a kitchen flour mill). Achieving the distinctive, festive ring shape (a rustic couronne) is easy; just be sure to have two sets of 4-inch and 9-inch nesting bowls on hand.

Food & Wine Culinary Director-at-Large Justin Chapple’s roast chicken legs drip meaty, delicious fat onto a smoky, peppery bed of potatoes, red onion and crispy croutons.

I find nothing more satisfying than recreating the unique breads of Latin America in my own kitchen. I especially love when the bread is meant to be stuffed with savory fillings and drowned in spicy salsa — in Mexico, the torta ahogada is just that. Birote (pronounced bee-row-teh) is a crunchy, darkly baked sourdough bread said to have a flavor unique to the environment of Guadalajara, but if you grab your favorite beer and some limes, you'll come pretty close!

This beautiful green soup pairs the tartness of green tomatoes with fragrant basil and thyme. Once you've finished off the soup you can eat the sourdough bread bowl.