In A Twist

I have been trying to make new bread recipes more often. My willing and able assistants were Lauren and her best friend Sydney. Our first batch was a little bulky (think fat pretzels) and needed to be slimmed down. We finally figured out that we needed to work in smaller batches, keeping about half the dough refrigerated until we had the first batch in the oven. We decided that we could lighten up on the salt it called for but over do it a little on the butter. They are much better serves fresh and hot but reheating in the microwave is okay.

Pretzels - modified from about six sources so really I'm calling this one new...

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 1/8 tsp active yeast ( 1 1/2 packages)

3 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup bread flour

3 cups white flour (add or subtract a bit depending on how sticky the dough is)

4 cups hot water (almost scalding)

4 Tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt

4 Tablespoons butter melted

Add yeast to warm water in a large mixing bowl; stir until dissolved. Add sugar and salt; stir until dissolved. Add bread flour then add white flour until dough is no longer sticky. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Return dough to greased bowl and cover with light cheese cloth. Place in warm area to rise until double about 1 hour.

Pinch off pieces of dough about 1/2 cup size and roll into long ropes about 15" long and less than 1/2" thick.

Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased non-reactive baking sheet (Metal sheets will leave a bit of a metallic taste to the pretzels. You can also use parchment that you brush lightly with butter.) Place pan in a warm place to rise again for about 30 minutes.

Bake pretzels in a 450' oven for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter immediately and serve warm. You can add other toppings after you brush with butter such as: coarse salt, cinnamon/sugar, Parmesan or finely shredded cheddar cheese.