i started making soft pretzels for us 2 years ago. it wasn't until recently that i thought to make large batches and freeze them to save myself some work. thankfully the idea DID finally dawn on me--pretzel making is a bit labor intensive.
i've gone through nearly a half a dozen recipes in my quest for a perfect make-it-yourself soft pretzel. the original recipe i used didn't rise enough and the pretzels were more chewy than fluffy. the second recipe somehow made every pretzel look lumpy after its water/baking soda bath (we'll get to the bath in a jiff!). the third recipe was difficult to manipulate, so on and so forth.
and then i found the recipe that finally had every element i was looking for: a nice, soft, fluffy bread, slightly sweet, a crunchy crust, a smooth and uniform dough, great smell and the ability to be reheated without becoming inedible.
we have a bagful of these hanging out in the house and i decided to try using them for things other than snacks. a soft pretzel sandwich was the obvious thing to try, and try i did. E loved it.
then came this:
according to my husband, this was a delicious alternative to the normal bird's nest that i make for him. granted it's not all that innovative or creative. it's simply a different type of bread. but it is certainly a different texture than a normal slice of bread and has a much saltier taste than what i usually use.
a note about this recipe: you really do need the baking soda bath. without it the pretzels end up being small pretzel shaped loaves of bread. what i mean by that is they don't end up with the characteristic crust of a soft pretzel. just do it! it's worth it :)
soft pretzels
2c milk
2 packages or 1.5 tbsp yeast
1/3c packed brown sugar
4 tbsp (or 1/4c) butter
2 tsp salt
about 5c flour
about 1/4c baking soda
warm the milk in a saucepan, or in a microwave on power level 1 for about 45 seconds
add the yeast to the warm milk, let sit until foamy.
add brown sugar, mix well. add 2c of flour, the salt and butter. mix mix mix
start adding the rest of the flour, 1c at a time until you have a smooth, elastic, sticky but firm ball of dough.
knead for a few minutes. put into a greased bowl and cover, let rise for about an hour or until doubled in sized.
once it's risen, get a pot of water boiling. at least a 2qt pot, ok? ok.
as your water is coming to a boil, start rolling out palmful size chucks of dough into the pretzel shape.
once the water is boiling, add the baking soda and IMMEDIATELY put a soft pretzel in, ONE AT A TIME! it will drop to the bottom and about 30 seconds later (or sooner) it will rise back up to the top. take it out and put it on a baking sheet. do this with all of your dough and bake at 400 until golden brown, 15+ minutes
TIPS! continue to roll out pretzels while each pretzel is in the bath. if you have to take a break from putting pretzels into the bath, you need to turn the heat off or the bath will literally create a foam that will ooze over the side of the pot and smell notsogreat.
if you find the act of rolling out dough exhausting, experiment with other (thin) shapes that require less work.
roll your dough out to just a tad slimmer than the thickness you like your pretzels. they will only rise a little bit in the oven, so what you see is more or less what you're going to get :)
my fondest memories of soft pretzels are in new york. and yes, i have other memories of soft pretzels to hold these memories up to.
i was there with dear friends both times i went.
and ended up marrying one of those friends a year after sharing street vendor soft pretzels with him.
so here is a bit of nostalgia for me, and for you my friends and husband.
pretzel cart!
k and me '07
k and e at ring weekend!
me and k at the ball
a and me '08
a and me at times square!
i never saw those pics of nyc.. and e's hair .. oh my goodnesssss!!! u and k look amazing!!
ReplyDeleteand another thing for u to make while u are here and then i can freeze a bunch of pretzels for when u are not here.... and i thought i was gonna save money on groceries this winter.. .guess not.
xxoo
DAMN we look good! I sometimes forget that's what E looked like when we first met and he was betrothed to me....I mean....I also remember I was the judge on the Chicago vs. NYC hot dogs throw down at the stand. And then the judge on Chicago vs. NYC pizza on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteIt's moments like this I actually miss gluten.