74 starter recipes

These mouth-watering crepes are filled with raspberry sauce and drizzled with creamy orange syrup. No one can resist these deliciously warm crepes to be a starter of the day.

A nutty and dense loaf. Great with peanut butter, or make a delicious German sandwich.

Polish sourdough rye bread with a 3-day rye starter, cornmeal-dusted crust, and caraway seeds, baked with steam for a crusty artisan loaf. A traditional Eastern European bread.

Christopsomo: a traditional Greek Christmas bread with semolina, citrus zest from oranges and tangerines, currants, golden raisins, and a warming blend of cinnamon, anise, coriander, and cloves.

Spinach mousse made with blanched fresh spinach, egg whites and a drizzle of heavy cream, finished with a pinch of nutmeg. Cold, silky, no-cook starter for a French or Creole table.

Puccia, traditional Italian olive-studded bread rolls from Puglia made with biga starter and whole wheat flour. Crusty, airy rolls with a long rise for deep flavor.

Prune Buns are old-fashioned yeasted sweet buns filled with prune preserves - built on an overnight sponge starter and a butter-rich dough, finished with powdered sugar.

Finnish sour rye bread with a four-day natural starter, rye and white flour blend, and an egg wash finish. A dense, tangy, traditionally fermented loaf.

Salt-rising bread made with a potato water starter fermented overnight. A heritage Appalachian yeast bread with a distinctive tangy flavor and dense crumb.

Spinach salad with mushrooms, mozzarella, and a warm anchovy-olive oil dressing served with grilled bread toasts. A bold Italian-style starter with rich umami.

Vegan Peking-style raviolis stuff egg roll wrappers with roasted eggplant, garlic, soy, ginger, and scallions. Boiled dumpling-ravioli hybrid for an unexpected vegetable starter.

Chilled avocado soup blends ripe avocados with a lime-and-serrano-spiked stock into a silky, no-cream base, topped with cilantro cream and crisp julienned radishes. A cool, elegant Mexican-inspired starter.

Velvety artichoke soup with roasted hazelnuts, hazelnut oil, and a splash of sherry. Naturally thickened with rice flour, making it a gluten-free elegant starter.

Peach cantaloupe soup blends ripe summer fruit with orange juice and a pinch of nutmeg into a chilled puree, topped with fresh blueberries. Light dairy-free starter or dessert.

Rustic Mediterranean olive bread with dried mint, chopped onion, and black olives baked into a round loaf. Made with a sponge starter for deep, complex flavor.

Homemade onion rye bread made with a sponge starter, rye and bread flour, and sauteed onions kneaded into the dough. Crusty outside, soft and fragrant inside.