Benjamin Baker, Executive Chef at Travaasa Hotel and Spa in the Texas Hill Country, is a seventh generation San Franciscan who knows a thing or two about sourdough bread. In fact, he uses sourdough starter handed down through the decades to make his signature loaves and rolls.

Although making sourdough starter is basically very simple, a lot can go wrong–dumb stuff, really. And so the following tips are intended to help you navigate around some of the hazards associated with the care and feeding of sourdough starter.

Field and Feast: Sourdough Bread with Chef Benjamin Baker Play Now | Play in Popup

When Chef Benjamin Baker accepted the position as executive chef at Travaasa Austin, he brought the tools he valued most to his new job – a good attitude, a set of knives and a 167-year-old sourdough starter.