Posts tagged ‘homemade pretzels’
Recipe of the Week – Philly Soft Prezels
(From the Bread Category at www.emealsforyou.com)
Philly Soft Pretzels
Growing up just outside of Philadelphia we often took trips into the city for shopping and sightseeing as kids. One of the highlights of the Philly excursion was to buy a hot, soft pretzel from the street vendors. These were always freshly bakes, still warm, soft, salty and delicious. A squirt of yellow mustard and you were all set for that late afternoon snack .
Pretzels continued to be a big part of the Philly culture but became a commodity and began to be baked in mass quantities; substituting ingredients that allowed them to be kept longer ( supposedly fresher) but took both the special texture and taste out of them. They became the cardboard offering that we now get everywhere you look. I have been searching for that old-fashioned recipe that brings back the flavor and textured I remember. Making Capt. Jim’s Tomato Focaccio the other day I realized that the dough was exactly what I was looking for. Moist and tasty, with a hint of sweetness, these brought back all the memories of those trips to Philly.
I have to say that actually twisting the pretzels reminded me a Lucy and Ethel skit, but once I got the hang of it, it was easy. If you are looking for something special for a party or movie night give these a try; you will never go back to those frozen, cardboard things in the grocery freezer again.
Philly Soft Pretzels
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Breads |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 1 | package | yeast, dried |
| 4.5 | cup | flour, all-purpose |
| 1.25 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 1 | cup | water |
| 1 | cup | milk, 2 % |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 0.5 | cup | baking soda |
| 8 | qt | water |
| 0.25 | cup | egg wash |
| 1 | Tb | salt, kosher |
Heat 1 cup of water and milk in microwave for 2 minutes, until warm but not hot. Place in a mixing bowl and add yeast. Let stand for 3 minutes then add the flour, salt and olive oil. Mix until a ball forms. Place dough in an oiled large bowl and cover, allow to rise until doubled in size. Cut dough into 16 even strips. Roll each piece into a long rope. Holding one end in each hand twist the dough to form a figure 8 and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Heat water and baking soda to a boil. Carefully drop a few pretzels at a time into the boiling water, Allow to cook for about a minute and remove to parchment paper on cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining pretzels. Brush egg wash (water and egg) on each pretzel and sprinkle kosher salt on top. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pretzels for 12 -18 minutes until brown. Serve warm with mustard or cheese dip.
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