In Knots
It’s National Soft Pretzel Month!
At our house, we are just inches away from the heart of pretzel country. “The Bretzelâ€? or “Brezel” was brought to the US in 1710 by the Palantine Germans, referred to commonly as the Pennsylvania Dutch. Not surprisingly then, the first commercial pretzel bakery was established in Pennsylvania Dutch Country in Lititz, PA by Julius Sturgis in 1861. That might explain why the average Philadelphian eats 12 times more pretzels than the average American (the average American only eats 2 pounds of pretzels per year)!
It follows then that my kids, all Philadelphians, are crazy about pretzels. But then a number of kids love pretzels. They are the second most popular snack - just behind the potato chip.
Soft pretzels are relatively easy to make. Try this recipe with your kids:
3 ½ c flour
4 T brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 T yeast
2 tsp baking soda mixed with 1 cup hot water
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water
Mix 1 cup warm water and 1 T yeast together. Add brown sugar and salt in a food processor, or a large mixing bowl. Slowly mix in flour and blend until dough is smooth, not sticky or tacky (you may need to add more flour).
Divide the dough into 6 or 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, with thickness a little bigger than a pencil. S hape into an upside down U shape on your table. Bring the ends together and twist. Flatten the ends and bring to the top of the pretzel and press in the dough.
Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise until about double in size (about 45 minutes).
Dip in the water-soda solution and then brush with beaten egg and water solution. Sprinkle with coarse salt or topping of your choice (such as sesame seeds, parmesan cheese or cinnamon sugar).
Bake at 475 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!
pretzels, National Pretzel Month, Lititz, Sturgis
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April 13th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Because I’m way lazier than you are , I posted a bread machine recipe for soft pretzels here: http://www.elementarychef.com/soft-pretzels-bread-machine-style/
I know not everyone has a bread machine, but if you do… It’s nice to dump the stuff in and then go do something else!
I love hot pretzels! My favorite thing? The toppings!!! MMMMMmmmm!