Giant Bavarian Pretzels
Mall pretzels have always been a favorite treat of mine, so when Everyday with Rachael Ray printed a soft pretzel recipe, I knew I had to make them. Growing up, my dad would sometimes make soft pretzels, but they took something like three hours to make, so we didn’t get them often. This recipe, however, only takes about half an hour, so I decided to blog it instead of my dad’s delicious but time-consuming alternative (sorry Dad).
You will need:
- · 1½ plus 2 cups lukewarm water
- · 1 package (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast
- · 4½ cups flour
- · 2 tbsp brown sugar
- · 2 tsp salt
- · 1 large egg, separated
- · 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or use salted butter and omit the 2 tsp salt—use real butter though, not margarine
- · 2 tbsp baking soda
- · coarse salt, for sprinkling on top
First, a few notes. On yeast: I used the fast-action variety, and my dough turned out to be a bit too stiff. I suggest buying only the “active dry” variety. It may need to be refrigerated; check the package before you store it. On baking: all measurements really do have to be precise. The way I describe it, baking is a science, whereas cooking is more of an art. You can get creative with substitutions and increasing or decreasing ingredients to taste when you cook; when you bake, it’s all about chemical reactions, and substitutions or imprecise measurements can really screw up your food.
Start by putting an oven rack on the lowest position and preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet (or two, if they’re small) with foil or parchment paper, if you have it. If you use foil, spray it lightly with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast and 1½ cups of the warm water; let this mixture stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Using a wooden or plastic spoon, mix in the egg yolk, butter and yeast mixture. When the ingredients start to combine together and become less sticky, dump the dough onto a clean, lightly floured counter and knead for 5 to 7 minutes. You’re done kneading when the dough is smooth and elastic. (If you have a stand mixer, you can use your dough hook attachment to mix the dough on low speed for the same amount of time.) Let the dough rest for 5 minutes after kneading.
In a large, shallow dish, mix the baking soda with the remaining warm water. Divide the dough in half, then each half into thirds, so you have six equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a rope about 42 inches long. (Here’s where I ran into trouble; my dough wasn’t the right consistency to roll out, so I had to do 6-inch twists instead of normal pretzel shapes.) Dip the rope into the baking soda mixture, then create your shape. To do a typical pretzel shape, hold one end of the rope in each hand. Quickly cross your hands, so your left hand is on your right side and vice versa. This will cause the rope to twist several times. Lay the twisted rope flat, and fold the two loose ends down to the bottom loop of the twist, making the standard pretzel shape. Lay the pretzel on the parchment paper or foil.
When you have all six pretzels shaped and laid out, brush them with the egg white—I used a paper towel as a “brush.” Then sprinkle the pretzels with the coarse salt and pop them on the lowest rack in the oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until they’re golden on top and slightly crispy on the outside.
Tags: College Kitchen, Emma Frankart, Pretzels