Sourdough is a God-given marvel. The reason is simple: Sourdough starter can be made at home with nothing but flour, water, and heat. Once it ferments, it replaces the need for yeast, baking powder and baking soda in bread. That same starter can be fed water and flour and live indefinitely, being split and passed down from generation to generation. Starter is hard to kill. Immigrants brought it from the Old World where it survived the long sea voyage and spread throughout the Americas. Mormon pioneers packed it in their wagons to make flap jacks and fry bread as they rumbled across the Rocky Mountains to Utah. I did an experiment and started my own starter 2 weeks ago with just flour and water and placing it by our wood burning stove. Yesterday, it gave me deep satisfaction to bake bread with my first home-grown starter.