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    Soft Pretzels

    Source of Recipe

    From "Martha's American Food" by Martha Stewart

    Recipe Introduction

    "A warm, soft pretzel—with yellow mustard—sold from a cart has long been a favorite street food in New York City. This type of pretzel probably came about as a Lenten bread in Italy during the Middle Ages, subsequently making its way to America from Holland with the Pilgrims. Although forming the pretzels is easy to do, it is virtually impossible to make them all look identical—the dough has a personality all its own. Relax and enjoy the process. Look for pretzel salt, a special type with very coarse grains, from specialty stores and online resources (such as www.spicebarn.com)."

    List of Ingredients

    â—¦ 1 package active dry yeast (1 scant tablespoon)
    â—¦ ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
    â—¦ 2 teaspoons sugar
    â—¦ 1 cup warm water (about 110° F)
    â—¦ 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
    â—¦ Pinch of cayenne
    â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    â—¦ Vegetable oil, for baking sheets
    â—¦ 3 tablespoons baking soda
    â—¦ 1 tablespoon pretzel salt
    â—¦ Assorted mustards, for serving

    Recipe

    Mix yeast, coarse salt, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl, whisking until sugar dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

    Mix flour and cayenne in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly pour yeast mixture over flour mixture, stirring to combine. Using your hands, gather dough together and turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until it is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place 30 minutes.

    With a bench scraper, cut dough into 12 equal pieces. With palms of hands, roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope. Form a "U" shape with one rope and twist ends around each other twice, leaving an inch at the ends. Fold twisted portion backward along center of "U" shape to form a circle, then gently press ends of rope onto dough to seal. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet and repeat to form pretzels with remaining dough. Let rise 20 minutes.

    Preheat oven to 475° F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add baking soda. Boil pretzels in batches until puffed and slightly shiny, 1 to 2 minutes per side, turning with tongs. Transfer to wire racks to drain.

    Once all pretzels have been boiled and drained, return them to baking sheet; sprinkle with pretzel salt, dividing evenly. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, rotating sheet halfway through, about 15 minutes. (Pretzels will keep, uncovered, at room temperature up to 12 hours. Reheat in a 250° F oven, if desired.) Serve with mustards.

    Makes 12

 

 

 


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