There’s something a little magical about sourdough. You mix flour and water, and in just a week or two, you have a starter that’s bubbling with invisible life. Humans have taken advantage of naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria to bake bread for thousands of years, yet we still know relatively little about these organisms. Do they come from the flour we use, or do they come from the water or the air or the bakers’ hands? How do different microbes affect the bread’s texture and taste? And why do some…
