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I always think
of a pretzel as something you get at the ball game or in the mall.
They are also good with beer. But they go back, way back in history.
INGREDIENTS:
3 rounded cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder (optional, but recommended)
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp butter
1 cup warm milk
Egg-wash and toppers (optional; see below)
DIRECTIONS:
Sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and yeast. Combine with
butter and milk to make a dough, kneading until satiny. Set dough in a
greased bowl in a warm spot, and allow to double in bulk (or mix and rise in
your bread machine, using the Dough cycle).
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add a teaspoon or two of baking soda to
the water, if desired. Do not salt or sweeten the water.
Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll or cut each piece
into a rope 18-20 inches long, and twist each rope into a pretzel (use a dab
of warm water to cement the joining-points if need be).
Optional: At this point, cover the pretzels lightly with paper towels and
allow them to rise for half an hour in a warm place.
Slide pretzels into water with a slotted spoon or broad spatula, and boil
each one until they float to the top, not more than 10 seconds. Remove them
immediately to a lightly greased cookie sheet.
The pretzels can be baked as-is, but are more pleasing when they are glazed
with an egg-wash and topped with coarse salt or caraway seeds. To make an
egg-wash, beat a single egg and a dash of water with a whisk until
completely blended, and brush the tops of the pretzels with it. Sprinkle the
topper onto the glazed surface.
Bake in a preheated 400º oven until golden. This will take approximately 15
minutes, but monitor the pretzels carefully after 10. If you are using an
electric oven, bake the pretzels on a high rack, or the bottoms will
over-brown. If no egg-wash was used, brush the pretzels very lightly with
melted butter as they emerge from the oven.
Serve fresh and hot with a handy supply of deli mustard. Other tasty dippers
and toppers range from garlic butter to melted cheese or even caramel. Note
that this recipe makes some satisfyingly thick pretzels - if you enjoy
slightly thinner ones, the dough may be divided 12 ways instead of 8.
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As we are with a lot of foods the exact origin of the pretzel is
unknown. Many do agree that pretzels have been loved and enjoyed since the
early 1800's.
Pretzels... The Worlds Oldest Snack Historians claim the first pretzels were
made back in 610 A.D., when monks in southern France offered them as a
reward to children for learning their prayers . Originally called "pretiola"
(little reward), Some suggest the hard, brittle, glazed and salted treat
came from Germany in 1835, where the dough was actually shaped to form the
letter B, and stood for "Bretzel." Others insist the pretzel was first made
by monks in 1800, who spent long hours forming bits of dough in the shape of
a person's hand in prayer.
It was the immigrants from these countries who brought the "bretzel" to our
shores during the 1800's, later becoming known as the "pretzel". The first
commercial pretzel bakery was established in the town of Lititz in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania by Julius Sturgis in 1861. The modern age of pretzel
making began in 1935 when the Reading Pretzel Machinery Company first
introduced the automatic pretzel twisting machine. Prior to that, most
commercial pretzels were actually shaped by a cracker-cutting machine, then
placed on baking pans and put into the baking ovens by hand. This innovation
made pretzels available to people in all parts of the country, and helped
the fledgling industry grow...
Source: Snack Food Association
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