So yes, everyone’s making sourdough now. But those tangy loaves are just the tip of the baguette (sorry) when it comes to the millennia old tradition of breadmaking around the world. It seems the alchemy of transforming flour and water and some kind of leavening (or not, as in the case of flatbreads) is universally comforting, as evidenced by the gazillions of bread varieties that anchor meals virtually everywhere on the planet. These simple starches are also in many ways