Dough Therapy

What do you do when the tension of the day starts to nip at your heels? Do you plop down with a pint of Ben & Jerry's and watch Dr. Phil? Do you draw a hot bath and lock the door? Do you head to the mall and spend lots of your husband's money?

Here is what I do, I head to my flour bin and start making dough. Not just any dough, a dough that is labor intensive, one that can take two days of loving care! As soon as I bring the flour, water, salt and yeast together........let it rest for 1 hour I start my transformation. I'm relaxed, I'm happy! I have shear pleasure beneath my rolling pin, I bring the dough up to my nose and I
smile again! That is all it takes for me! After 4 turns, I'm back to my old happy self! Therapy.

You know that the dough will talk to you, don't you? It will tell you when you are impatient and rushing the process. It tell you when you are taking a shortcut that you shouldn't do. Looking down at my dough I watch the shaggy flour and water become beautiful and silky.


This bursting bag of dough greets me in the morning. You know that I can't let my son take off for college without at least one batch of Croissant Dough! I'm going to make him some Pain au Chocolate this morning!

The minute I open this ziplock bag I'm going to be hit with a wonderful yeasty smell!



The dough is shaped and the little batons of Chocolate are rolled up snug. Now they go into a cold oven in which I put a pan of hot water. They now rise for about 2 hours.

They look good! The family was happy and now my son can leave soon. Except we are on the last few days 'meal countdown'. He has given me a list of what he wants for dinner each night before he goes back.

More to come........