Monday's Menu

 Yep. I'm trying to get my recipes going again.

Here's a fun one. I'm not really sure whether to put it in the breads category or the snacks category.  Soft pretzels are pretty yummy either way.

 I highly recommend you make a double batch. Mine never seem to last more than an hour. Everyone is down here stealing one. And since it doesn't make very many, they are usually gone quick. So I have determined never to make them unless I double it.

I have thought several times that it might be nice to make a batch of these for the freezer. Then we could just pull one out as we wanted it but then they never seem to last long enough to cool for freezing.

I originally got this recipe from here. And we seem to like it the best. That site has a recipe for a sweet mustard dipping sauce if you're interested. But in our house, butter is king, queen and everything in between, so I have never made it.

Enjoy!

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 pkg (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup baking soda

2 Tablespoons coarse salt (large grained for sprinkling on outside - I just use Kosher salt)

By hand directions:

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees F; pour into a bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour. Cut up 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Continue with "After rising" directions.

Bread maker pan directions:

Warm the milk in a saucepan until its about 110 degrees F. Pour into bottom of bread pan. Add 2 Tablespoons of softened butter. Then add the brown sugar and salt. Add flour on top. Dig a small well in the middle of the flour and place yeast in it. Set bread maker to dough setting and start. Allow to complete the cycle. Continue with "After rising" directions.

After Rising  directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape. 

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Dip or brush butter onto the hot pretzels. Serve the pretzels warm.