Friday, May 22, 2009

Fantastic Soft Pretzels

So my baby boy is somewhat picky when it comes to food - the only thing that he will try without any prejudice is bread - rolls, sour dough bread, whole wheat bread, banana bread, you name it. If I wanted to get him to eat green vegetables, all I have to do would be grinding them and mix them in with the dough - Okay, that sounded really gross, but seriously! He shares his passion for bread with his daddy, too. The first thing he asked when he came home from work was, "Where are the pretzels?" I know, like father, like son, right? Well, the pretzels turned out soft and wonderful. The only suggestion I have, though, eat them while they are warm or on the same day you make them.

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
2 cups scalded milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoon salt
7 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water
Coarse salt (Kosher or Margarita)

Direction:

Sprinkle yeast in lukewarm water; dissolve. Combine milk, sugar, and salt in mixing bowl. Add yeast mixture. Add 3 cups flour. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in remaining flour to make soft dough.

Place in greased bowl and turn over so the sough is greased on both sides. Cover and let rise, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. Let rest 10 minutes.

Take 1/2 dough and roll into 12X10 inch rectangle. Cut into 12 strips. Roll each strip into 20 inch rope. Form into pretzels. Let rise 30 minutes.

Heat 2 quarts water to boiling during the last 10 minutes of rising time. Add baking soda to water. Add pretzels to boiling water 2 at a time and boil 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and let water drain off. Place pretzels on greased aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Combine egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush pretzel with mixture. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake 18 minutes at 400 degrees F or until golden brown.

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