MVP

Gluten is a little protein with huge bonding power; I call it the “magic rubber band” of traditional baking. Gluten enables that cool pizza guy to spin the dough on the tip of a finger without breaking it, lets cakes and breads rise to towering heights, and helps popovers pop and yet stay tender. No matter what kind of leavening you combine with a gluten protein, the gluten will expand and contract without breaking. It’s almost infinitely elastic. And this makes traditional baking both versatile and, well, not exactly easy, but simpler.