I used 2¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast rather than a packet of instant, but that would work too. And since I didn’t need extra flour for conventional kneading, I used only a total of 4¾ cups.

1. Make the dough Start by pouring the water into a medium bowl and sprinkling the yeast on top. Allow the yeast to bloom; it only takes about 30 seconds.

"I think everyone who is fortunate enough to be home with a lot of free time right now is like, 'Well, guess I'm going to start baking some stuff,'" said one baker.

To make your own bread starter, Suzi Gerber, chef and executive director of Haven Foods, said it only takes a few simple steps to allow flour and water to culture with the natural wild yeasts in ...