What to Cook this Weekend: Pretzels
With the advent of pretzel stores flooding shopping malls across the nation (okay, this started a few years ago, but I re-noticed it last weekend) I wondered why the pretzel presence was so rampant. The short answer? Because they're delicious. Maybe it's my German heritage, but I adore pretzels to a ridiculous degree, and have decided that I'm going to resist the store-bought version and make my own. There's a great step-by-step recipe (with pictures!) at kitchenproject.com, but here's the condensed version:
Soft Pretzel Recipe
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon yeast, dissolved in 1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon baking soda mixed with 1 cup boiling water
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl
Directions
1. Mix water, yeast, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor or large mixing bowl. Add flour and mix until dough is smooth. Add more flour if sticky. (If possible let the dough sit overnight in a plastic container in the fridge).
2. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, very thin, a little bigger than a pencil. Shape into an upside down U shape. Bring the ends together and twist them. Flatten the ends with your fingers and bring to the top of the pretzel and press in the dough to secure. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
3. Let pretzels rise for 30 minutes or until they double in size. Brush with baking soda-water solution, then brush pretzels with the egg and water mixture for a shiny glaze. Sprinkle with toppings such as sesame seeds, parmesan cheese, or cinnamon and sugar.
4. Bake at 400-450 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until well browned. Makes 12 pretzels.
--AndreaLeigh
maryeats on March 31, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Last week I had a homemade pretzel at Quinn's on Capital Hill with a side of Welsh Rarebit and it was amazing! Will try this recipe at home.
kathy casey on March 31, 2008 at 10:18 AM
I love homemade pretzels, but what I love even more is having people guess what gives pretzels their zing. Many people guess it is an egg or milk wash, or attribute the metallic taste to the salt, but it is actually the baking soda water solution. A great piece of trivia.
Steaming Pile on April 01, 2008 at 10:53 AM
So what if I wanted to make Laugenbroetchen, which is a roll made from pretzel dough. I imagine I would go with the lower end of the temperature range (400 deg.) and cook them longer, say, 20 minutes.