Soft Pretzels

Spring has just come around the bend; the afternoons are getting warm and the sun stays up well past six. In our backyard small green seedlings, that will soon sprout into fiddle heads, are peeping out between grass and dead leaves, and beds of little blue flowers have bloomed by the back fence. On our front lawn the grass is just beginning to return to its beautiful shade of green; it's hard to believe only a few weeks ago it was buried under a foot of snow. 

When this time of year comes, I feel like I'm walking on air; I pull my favorite sandals out from their hiding spot under sneakers and winter boots, and wear the cute pair of shorts that have rested in my drawer through the winter. As it becomes sunny and warm, I enjoy the walk down to my bus stop, noticing the blooming flowers in neighbors' yards and smiling to early morning commuters. Playing ball with my dogs, I can toss the tennis ball until they get tired without cold fingers forcing me inside. When the nights become warm, I lay out in the yard with the dogs, looking up at the the moon, and the stars, and the depth of the night sky.

After the long, cold months of winter, there is no better fix than a warm spring day.

But, with all the beautiful things that spring brings, it has it's lows too.  The sunny days can turn into a cold wet afternoon, warm fronts bring morning thunderstorms, and waiting at the bus stop becomes uncomfortable with a sudden downpour of rain. 

Going out for a dog walk with my cousin, D-, the other day, I slipped on my sandals and a fleece, without a thought, before heading out. The sun was up and there was a cool lake breeze, but not so much that we were cold. Then a few rain drops fell as we headed back home, which soon gave way to a heavy downpour. 

The sky had turned gray and our hands pink, from cold. The winter boots I didn't even consider slipping on, with their covered toe and warm sheepskin lining, were suddenly all I could think of. To keep my toes warm D- gave me her socks - going barefoot in her sneakers - and, pulling them on, I stuffed my feet back into the sandals. We made our way back home half-running, numb from the cold and the rain... such are the wonders of spring!

It's on spring days like these that I long for summer. 

Oh, summer... just the word reminds me of biting into ripe, colorful fruits, laughing as the juices drip down my chin; of sitting around a crackling campfire and frantically blowing out a flaming marshmallow that had dipped into the flames, and of running freely through grassy fields (thought it's not something I do regularly). I think fondly to eating dinner on the beach, going to the ballpark and to the fair, taking late night walks, and spending time doing nothing at all.

To me, a soft pretzel tastes like summer. It smells like a baseball game, and reminds me of the last days in August, walking around the grounds at the county fair.

Living in a small city with vendors who only set up during the warm months, I don't eat à la cart often. But, striding through the fair ground in late August a pretzel stand will sometimes catch my eye, so I'll buy one before heading to the next ride; when we have visited New York City, a vendor with warm pretzels was hard to pass up; and at baseball games a soft pretzel has always seems to be the perfect snack. I don't come across soft pretzels often, so in the summer when I do, they are hard to resist! 

A bite of the pretzels still warm from the oven, took me right back to those summer days; a batch of these could surely give vendors a run for their money.

Soft Pretzels

adapted from Martha Stewart via The Sophisticated Gourmet

makes 12

This recipe, as do most bread recipes, requires precise measurements for the flour. The easiest and most accurate way to go about this is with a kitchen scale; if you don't have one already I would recommend making an investment in your kitchen, as a scale proves to be both useful and necessary in many different recipes. But, if you can't get your hands on a scale, when measuring the flour lightly spoon it into the measure cup, and level with a butter knife. To prevent compacting make sure not to press the flour down or tap the sides of the measuring cup. 

I have provided directions in the recipe for folding the dough into pretzel shape, but refer to photos above for additional instruction.

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

1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt*

2 teaspoons (8 grams) sugar

1 cup warm water (100 to 110ºF)

1 cup (128 grams) bread flour / whole wheat pastry flour

2 cups (256 grams) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons salted butter plus, softened - plus more for greasing baking sheets

Vegetable oil, for bowl 

1/4 cup (72 grams) baking soda

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon course grain sea salt / pretzel salt*

Egg, beaten
1 teaspoon water

*If you decide to make these on a whim and don't have course grain sea salt or pretzel salt, table salt is a fine substitute.

In a small bowl, whisk together yeast, salt, sugar, and warm water until sugar is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, 5 or 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, cut butter into flour using pastry cutter or fork, until it resembles course crumbs. Slowly pour yeast mixture into flour mixture, stirring just until it comes together. Gather the dough together with your hands, and turn onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead until dough is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes.  

Set dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or chill overnight.

Grease a baking sheet with butter.  Pat the dough into a thick rectangle and, with a dough cutter or serrated knife, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll a dough piece into an 18-inch rope, about 1/2 inch thick. Make a U shape with the rope, cross the two ends, then cross again. Fold the crossed ends down over the lower half of the dough so that they are resting just over the bottom edge, and gently press to seal. Set the folded pretzel on the baking sheet, and repeat with remaining dough pieces. Let rise for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475ºF. Bring a large - wide - pot of water to boil, and add baking soda and 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Boil pretzels in batches of 2 or 3 for 1-2 minutes per side until they are lighter and puffy. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and set on a cooling rack, right-side-up, to drain.  Place pretzels on buttered baking sheet. In a small bowl, beat egg and teaspoon of water. Brush the pretzels with the egg wash, and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Store at room temperature for up to 12 hours, and reheat in toaster-oven or oven at 250ºF.