Weekend Cooking...Homemade Soft Pretzels

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Hey, it is still Lent, and there is nothing more Lenten than...PRETZELS!

Yes, pretzels.

In keeping with the strictest Lenten restriction, they contain no dairy or eggs and look, their little arms are crossed in prayer. (OK, ignore the touch of butter and the egg wash in mine...)

As our friends from Wikipedia say..."...pretzels were regarded as having religious significance for both ingredients and shape. Pretzels made with a simple recipe using only flour and water could be eaten during Lent, when Christians were forbidden to eat eggs, lard, or dairy products such as milk and butter.
As time passed, pretzels became associated with both Lent and Easter. Pretzels were hidden on Easter morning just as eggs are hidden today, and are particularly associated with Lent, fasting, and prayers before Easter.

 In particular, {the pretzel} became iconic with Philadelphia and was established as a cuisine of Philadelphia for snacking at school, work, or home, and considered by most to be a quick meal. The average Philadelphian today consumes about twelve times as many pretzels as the national average.

Pennsylvania today is the center of American pretzel production for both the hard crispy and the soft bread types of pretzels. Southeastern Pennsylvania, with its large population of German background, is considered the birthplace of the American pretzel industry, and many pretzel bakers are still located in the area. Pennsylvania produces 80% of the nation's pretzels."

12 times the national average. 80% of the country's production. A Lent connection and a Philadelphia connection!

But I must say that one thing scared me off trying to make pretzels.
LYE!
Traditionally, you need to us a lye bath before you bake pretzels.
LYE!
I did not really want to cook with something that requires wearing protective gloves and goggles. But fear not, because while there are recipes out there that boil the pretzels pre-baking in a lye/water bath, most now use a baking soda/water bath which is a lot safer.

Homemade Soft Pretzels
courtesy of Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the 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 parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. 

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So, how did thing go?
Did I break my curse of working with yeast?
Why, yes I did it seems!

True, my house is so chilly (by choice) that I had to throw that 50 minutes rising time out. Moving the bowl closer to a radiator helped.
OK, on the radiator with a book as insulation.

And I should have worked at stretching the rope out to the 24-inch suggested. The dough was very stretchy and I only realized at the end that swinging it like a jump rope would do the trick. Oh, and let me just mention something I read in another recipe. Be sure to put the baking soda in the water before you boil it. Do not, repeat do not, add it to the boiling water. It will bubble up and make a mess on your stove that will not make you happy.

Unlike these warm, chewy, tasty pretzels, perfect with some mustard and a beer.
Except I gave up beer for Lent....

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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