Sunday, June 10, 2007

Pretzels


Finished Pretzels
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.
I can see myself veering away from super sweet stuff to yeasty items. I made my first post about the Daring Bakers two weeks ago, but they've been together longer than I've been a part of them.

Last year one of their challenges was to make pretzels. Recipe can be found here. I can't say enough about these. They were so easy, and so delicious. And perfect with mustard or plain.

As you can see, mine are a bit pale, and I could have used an extra 2-5 minutes, but they were still good. This was the first time this month I wished I had a pastry brush (the last step includes brushing the pretzels with melted butter) but not the last!

This was the first time in a long while I had kneaded dough by hand - probably not since the day the industrial mixer broke down on challah day, back when I worked at a bakery. I had forgotten how great it feels, both during and after, and don't plan on using the silly dough hooks on my mixer again any time soon. I also have a lovely island in my kitchen now which is perfect for kneading and preparing dough.

A picture of them before baking:
Before rising and baking

The only thing I can say about these - I wish I hadn't baked them all at once. They get a little soggy and tough after a day or so, and I could have stopped after the last step before baking, and frozen the dough. At least, that's what I'll try next time unless I'm baking for a crowd.

Categories: Bread, Pretzels, Savory, Yeast

6 comments:

Dolores said...

I'm with you on not baking all of them at once... we had quite a few tough two-day-old pretzels. They sure were tasty though!

Cheryl said...

I give you all so much credit for trying pretzels. They look so big and delicious. I must try this one time.

Glenna said...

Very nice! That's funny. I've been baking all weekend and I kept thinking about pretzels. Now I'm craving them bad. Hmmm...

Good job. They look great. When you get the pastry brush, be sure to get the new silicone kind. I'm only enthusiastic because I just ponied up for one about a week ago and I love that silly thing!

Helene said...

They look great! About the pastry brush: go to a home improvement store and buy painting brushes in different sizes. I have had mine for ages.

Peabody said...

The only challenge I did not participate in. I should probably step up and do it. I will take into consideration them getting soggy.

Lis said...

Way to go, Jenny! I'm glad you tried them - yours look wonderful!

xoxo