Slice of Heaven

Making Soft Pretzels...yummmmy

Usually on Fridays we try to do something fun or special as part of school. Eric requested this week that we make soft pretzels, so I made up the dough while he was doing math, and by 11:00 it was ready to be shaped and cooked. They made a great lunch! Everyone enjoyed shaping their own, and on top of that, they were delicious.

I found a great recipe by Alton Brown from the Food Network. If you've never seen his show or tried his recipes, they are almost always spectacular. He is so scientific about cooking, and so I am including this recipe because the pretzels were so soft and moist, not dried out at all!

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)

1 T. sugar

2 t. salt

1 package active dry yeast

22 oz. flour, approx. 4 1/2 cups (I used a little less than this)

2 oz. (4 T.) unsalted butter, melted

vegetable oil for pan

2/3 cup baking soda (don't omit this secret ingredient)

1 egg yok beaten with 1 T. water

pretzel salt

Combine the water, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 min. or longer or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until combined. Knead until the the dough is smooth and pulls away from teh sides of the bowl, about 4-5 min. Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about 1 hour).

Preheat the oven to 450. Spread two baking sheets lightly with oil. Set aside.

Place 8-10 cups of water and the baking soda in a large saucepan or roasting pan and bring to a rolling boil.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 or 12 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24 in. rope. Make a U shape with each rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the oiled baking pan.

Place the pretzels in teh boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds each. Remove them with a slotted spatula or spoon. Return to the baking sheet, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, about 12-14 min. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 min. before serving.