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!
That looks so nicely shaped. I've never attempted pretzels at home, despite the abundance of vegan recipes. One day, one day.
ReplyDeleteHow neat! I'd never thought about making my own pretzels. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteOoo, very cool! There's something so therapeutic about making pretzels, isn't there?
ReplyDeleteYours look lovely...
Also, how absurdly fantastic is "The Wire?!" I LOVE that show! What season are you on?
Ahh yes, I find myself in a similar situation with the lighting. I need to start using a tripod as well. Your photos are always so so lovely.
ReplyDeleteHehe. I like the bananas in the mug on your counter.
panda and cadry: You should definitely make some! It was SO easy I almost couldn't believe it.
ReplyDeletejd: I'm gonna watch the last episode from season 4 tonight, then start on season 5 tomorrow! I love it.
This is on my list to make. And when I have patience too. Yours look fab. By the way, If i had 'The Wire' on I would not be in the kitchen, the whole series was astounding. What an insight.
ReplyDeleteHow have I gone this long without one of those wire mesh deep fat fryer/bagel boiling tools? These look great, wanna try making them sometimes. I'll have to dip them into the scalding hot water using my hands though.
ReplyDeleteCanuck: Um.. I guess you could use your hand so gently put them in the water, but when you take them up you could use tongs carefully or two wooden spoons, they gets a lot firmer after boiling a little while!
ReplyDeleteThey look so professional! I always thought pretzels where boiled in salt water? Not that I'd know anything about making pretzels, I've been too intimidated to make them myself, you make it look like a piece of cake. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been having the same daylight issues, it's such a pain.
These look great! I love to make pretzels. I even bought some sodium hydroxide for the lye. This is used for traditional German pretzels. But to be honest, yours look as good.
ReplyDeleteMihl:Yeah, I read that, but decided to take a short-cut and do the baking soda thing. But I've heard that the lye is what give them the characteristic flavour? Oh well, mine were super tasty so I'm satisfied.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I have never attempted pretzels...even though I *AM* Bavarian! :P I did eat an apple-stuffed pretzel at Oktoberfest (in Munich!) once, though...yum.
ReplyDeleteThose pretzels look so perfect! Yum!
ReplyDelete