TheKitchenSinkRecipes.comveneer of flour | TheKitchenSinkRecipes.com

veneer of flour

October 01 2009 by Kristin at The Kitchen Sink in Uncategorized » 27 comments

To spend an afternoon in the kitchen, arms dusted with a powdery veneer of all-purpose flour, is one of the true pleasures of a weekend. Especially when yeast is in involved (building in pockets of time, like it does, for a brisk walk to get fresh air or a quick spell to put your feet up) and kneading is called for (a mindless task, satisfying in its physicality).

And all of this is pleasant enough when, in the end, as the late afternoon sun bends in golden through the windows, a tall loaf or a squat boule or a broad focaccia or a twisted challah emerges from the oven.

But when the day’s efforts yield, instead, a couple dozen soft pretzels, golden knots speckled with big salt cystals, it’s all just a little bit dazzling.

It’s enough to make me want to bypass Friday all together—a Jeans Friday at work, to be capped out with a lovely dinner out, no less—skipping straight to Saturday to do it all over again. But this Saturday, of course, holds a new list of recipes, of projects that will keep me busy in the kitchen, of afternoons dusted with flour.

And I can’t wait. Happy weekend (or, okay fine, almost weekend), everyone!

Soft Pretzels
Food & Wine (Courtesy of Gale Gand)

[See below for step-by-step pretzel shaping photos.]

1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/3 cup light brown sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt or pretzel salt
2 quarts cold water
1/2 cup baking soda
Mustard, for serving

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix 2 tablespoons of the warm water with the yeast and let stand until foamy. Add the remaining 1 1/3 cups of warm water along with the sugar and swirl to dissolve the sugar. Add the flour and mix at medium-low speed until a firm, pliable dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 2 minutes. Roll the dough into a 2-foot-long sausage. Cut the dough into 20 pieces. Cover with plastic and a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll each piece of dough into a 12-inch-long rope. To form pretzels, shape each rope into a U; cross the two sides of the U over each other, twist and press the ends down on the pretzel. Arrange the pretzels on a lightly floured surface about 1-inch apart and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the pretzels rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large stockpot, bring the cold water to a boil. Add the baking soda. Carefully slide 5 of the pretzels into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds, turning once. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pretzels to a rack to drain right-side up; sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining pretzels, in 3 batches.

Lightly oil 2 baking sheets. Arrange the pretzels on the baking sheets and bake on the upper and middle racks of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until browned all over; shift the pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through if necessary, for even baking. Let the pretzels cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, with mustard.

27 comments so far. »
| Leave a Reply

Half Assed Kitchen says on October 01 2009 at 8:39 pm:

Well, those look completely fabulous. Will have to try some weekend when I’m feeling adventurous.
radish says on October 02 2009 at 8:03 am:

Funny, my happiest weekends are spent up to my ears in flour, also. These look so yummy!
Whitney says on October 02 2009 at 8:09 am:

Those scream for some yummy mustard to dip in!
Dolce says on October 02 2009 at 8:57 am:

They look great, with a soft brioche finish… I am sure you tried them while they were still warm!
Julia (Color Me Green) says on October 02 2009 at 9:16 am:

i made soft pretzels recently. it was so fun and amazing that they actually came out like pretzels. yum!
Tabitha (From Single to Married) says on October 02 2009 at 9:20 am:

Mmmm… what I wouldn’t give for one of these right now. Do you deliver?
ingrid says on October 02 2009 at 9:30 am:

Auntie Annie’s move over…here I come!

Happy Friday to you!
~ingrid
tara says on October 02 2009 at 9:32 am:

My boys adore a pretzel – soft or crisp, thin or thick. I do believe I’d win Mummy of the Year in their minds if this was our Saturday activity. Happy weekend to you.
Barbara says on October 02 2009 at 10:28 am:

Those look divine! I agree- flour all over the place when I bake. It makes me happy.
Natalie says on October 02 2009 at 10:30 am:

WOW these look awesome! I can’t wait to try making them!
Eliana says on October 02 2009 at 12:03 pm:

“arms dusted with a powdery veneer of all-purpose flour” – incredibly poetic – i love how this sounds.
jen says on October 02 2009 at 2:11 pm:

love this
Laura says on October 02 2009 at 3:26 pm:

They look lovely! How long to they stay fresh? I usually bring my baked treats in to my co-workers, so I’m curious to know if I could make them the day before.
peapod says on October 02 2009 at 3:48 pm:

drool. i’ll definitely be attempting a batch of these over the weekend. you make it look so easy!
Jennifer says on October 02 2009 at 10:30 pm:

I love to make pretzels, too. They’d be the perfect accompaniment to the beer mustard I made. I think I have a Saturday afternoon project.
Romaine of www.salad-in-a-jar.com says on October 03 2009 at 12:41 pm:

Those are prettiest homemade pretzels I have ever seen in my life!
Marianne says on October 03 2009 at 12:59 pm:

Soft pretzels are something I’ve always wanted to try making. They seem less intimidating than many other yeast breads. Plus they are delicious.
Hannah says on October 03 2009 at 4:55 pm:

I’m so impressed – I’ve wanted to make pretzels for so long, but they scare me! haha. Maybe I’ll try them out now.
Dana says on October 04 2009 at 9:18 am:

My husband has been begging me to make these for years. He even bought me a mix at Williams-Sonoma. Your photos convinced me that it is time to go for it.
Devon says on October 05 2009 at 6:24 am:

A weekend just isn’t a weekend without a shirt front covered in flour.
Geralyn says on October 05 2009 at 9:36 am:

Yummy! My girls and I are going to have to try to make these one day this week.
diane says on October 05 2009 at 4:24 pm:

These look amazing and I can’t wait to try..my only attempt didn’t go well!Thanks for the idea.MOM
Andrea [bella eats] says on October 09 2009 at 6:02 am:

These pretzels are gorgeous, Kristin! Wow…
ballpeen says on October 23 2009 at 10:30 am:

what does the baking soda in the boil do? are there any other applications of this method for other breads or recipes? thank you, i look forward to eating these pretzels later today!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on October 25 2009 at 7:39 pm:

ballpeen: You know, I have no idea. I poked around online a bit and didn’t get a straight answer. Anybody else know the answer? My guess is that it has something to do with the texture and color of the outside of the pretzels(which, in the case of a good pretzel, are quite different than the texture and color of the interior of the pretzel).
Julia says on November 10 2009 at 5:17 pm:

This recipe turned out beautifully! I couldnt stop myself from eating them right out of the oven… SO good
Shana says on December 19 2009 at 7:47 pm:

This are amazing! We’ve been eating these all day with cranberry horseradish sauce. YUM.

Do your pretzels get a bit wrinkly after they’ve sat for awhile? When ours finished baking most were nice and smooth, but within a couple of hours they were pretty wrinkled up. Still tasty, just not as visually appealing!