Today I made soft pretzels. I've never had the real deal, but let me tell you, they were great. We ate them with mustards while watching the Wire and the rain was pouring down outside. It's getting dark at around 4 pm here now, and I hate it. I'm thankful for my tripod which allows me to have a long shutter time on my camera, otherwise my pictures would be dark as hell.
I found my
recipe for Bavarian pretzels over at a site about Oktoberfest, a German folk festival where these goodies are a part of the festivities.
Soft Pretzels
yields 8 pretty small ones
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Activate the yeast by dissolving it with the water and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. When it has bubbled up and got a bit foamy, stir in the rest of the sugar and the flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes. Bring a pot of water to a boil, it doesn't have to be so much, but about 3 inches deep is good. Stir in some (quite a lot, about 2 tablespoons) baking soda and make sure it dissolves. Shape the pretzels how you want them and leave them to rest for 10 minutes.
Boil 1 pretzel at the time in the water for about 1 minute, then put on a baking sheet.
Bake in 475 degrees until browned, about 8-10 minutes depending on their thickness. Enjoy warm!
