Sabbath bread.

One of my favorite recipes comes from the September 2008 issue of Cooks Illustrated. It's technically called pizza bianca, but today I'm going to call it Sabbath bread.

Unlike other yeast doughs, this recipe requires no kneading or shaping. The art of the bread is in the resting.

Basically, there are three separate resting periods. First, you mix the flour, salt, and water together and walk away for twenty minutes. During that first resting period, gluten forms. Gluten is "the strong elastic network of cross-linked proteins that give bread its crumb structure." According to my siblings on the primal diet, it's also evil. But whatever - the point is, it's essential for making bread dough. The initial rest holds the whole thing together and gives it its shape and structure.

Next, you mix in some yeast and sugar and then let the dough sit for two and a half hours. During this second resting period - "rising" - the yeast will work its magic through the batch until the dough has tripled its volume. As all bread bakers know, rising is serious. You have to protect your dough during this time, keeping it covered, warm, and free from drafts. You also can't cut the rising time short without seriously disappointing consequences. So, when the recipe says "let it rise," you let it rise.

Finally, after the risen dough is poured into the pan, it needs to rest one more time. By stretching it out, you've shocked it a little, causing it to contract and tighten up. After about ten minutes, though, it relaxes and gets bubbly. You're now just 450 degrees and twenty minutes away from deliciousness.

To recap:

1) Resting is important because it gives us time to build up strength. Without gluten, our ingredients would never become dough, let alone bread. Likewise, resting gives our bodies, hearts, and minds a chance to connect in essential but mysterious ways, giving shape to our souls.

2) Resting is equally as important as doing. If we don't rest well, we can't rise well. So when it's time to rest, stop tinkering around and just rest. This might mean that you have to be a little defensive about your boundaries (in the same way that you have to keep your dough covered and warm).

3) If we stop resting as soon as we stop feeling tired, we're selling ourselves short. This dough is ready when it's bubbly - skip the final resting period and instead of chewy flatbread, you just have bread that's flat. We're not just called to be well-rested; we're supposed to be joyful. 

Now, it's time for me to get some sleep before this post becomes any more hypocritical. :)