A couple of weeks ago, my mom told me that we would need to prepare a report on a country for our homeschool co-op. Immediately I knew that I would do Germany. I've always wanted to visit Germany and I have thought of their culture as fresh, upcoming, and exciting. So as I was preparing my report, I came across this recipe for German soft pretzels. It's originally Alton Brown's recipe, with a few tweaks. I made these and took them to the co-op and everyone loved them. Hope you like them too!
German Soft Pretzels
Yield: 8 large pretzels
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Oil, for bowl
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking powder
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt or Sea Salt
Combine warm water (1 1/2 cups) with sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and stir gently. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, or until it begins to foam. Using a mixer with the dough hooks, mix in the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes and then on medium speed for 4 minutes until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is sticky. Take another bowl and oil it well. Place the dough in it and put the bowl in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. In the meantime, pour the water (10 cups) into a large pot and add the baking soda, and bring to a rolling boil once the pretzels have been shaped. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit or 230 degrees Celsius. Dump the dough out onto a greased workspace and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Take each piece and roll it into a thin log that is 24 inches long. Make a U shape, then cross the ends over and twist the dough. Press the dough down at the bottom of the pretzel. Place each pretzel, one at a time, in the boiling water for 15 seconds on each side. Then place on a baking paper-lined pan, or a very well greased pan. Beat together the egg yolk and water (1 tablespoon) and brush it on each pretzel to ensure golden color. Then sprinkle each pretzel with salt. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for at least 5 minutes.
I really like to enjoy them with a little honey mustard. You could also put cinnamon sugar on top instead of salt before baking, just be careful not to let the sugar burn. These are really nice and chewy, and they make a great snack, breakfast, or lunch.
