Pretzels | Buttery Pretzels | #BreadBakers



Winter is at its peak here. The Sun and the fog seem to be vying with each other to show their strength to us. For the last few days, a thick blanket of fog has hugged us tight.  The sonorous tinkle of drops falling from the leaves is the only sound audible in the otherwise silent morning. But all the days are not same. Yesterday, The Sun won the tussle and we had a sunny day. The Sun was mild and air chilly, but everything looked so positive and peppy. The warmth of the Sun infused life and vigour and made our world look bright and beautiful.


Our bird bath started getting visitors and a female Koel had water to her fill.



 Later, a male Koel descended from the Mango tree and remained in the birdbath for some time.



Earlier in the morning, a papaya that was sliced for the breakfast was found slightly unripe, It was put out on a branch for birds. A Red Vent Bulbul was the first one to make this delicious discovery.



Somewhere around late afternoon, the Sun started losing strength and the fog descended.  We headed indoors and started working on our Pretzels. Pretzels are the theme for this month’s  baking of our group Bead Bakers. I had never baked Pretzels before and I thoroughly enjoyed the newness of the process. Shaping the pretzels was enjoyable. By late evening, very shiny, soft and chewy and fantastically brown pretzels came out of the oven. We had an early dinner and enjoyed the gorgeous Pretzels with cream cheese dip and pea soup.



Pretzels are a yeast bread. Pretzels are boiled in soda water and then baked. It is this “soda bath” that gives Pretzels a beautiful golden brown colour, a unique taste, and a chewy texture.


Buttery Pretzels

Ingredients


  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup warm water (you will require more water in winter and less in summer. Our goal is to get a very soft dough)
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon instant dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar + 1 teaspoon sugar for dough(optional)

Topping


  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 3 tablespoons baking soda
  • Coarse salt to sprinkle on baked pretzels
  • 3 tablespoons butter (vegans may avoid butter)

Instructions


  1. In a large bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, salt and 1 teaspoon sugar (if you prefer your pretzels slightly sweet)
  2. In a measuring glass or a deep bowl, take water and sugar. Stir till sugar dissolves. Add yeast. Stir. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
  3. Add water to flour mix and knead. Knead for 6-8 minutes till you get a very soft, elastic and very smooth dough.
  4. Transfer dough to a greased bowl. Turn around once so that it is evenly coated with oil. Cover with a kitchen cloth and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour or until double.
  5. Take water in a deep pan. Add baking soda. Stir. Bring the water to a boil.
  6. Transfer dough to the counter dusted with flour. Roll out the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. You may weigh the dough and then divide into pieces weighing the same size.
  7. Line the baking sheet with a foil or a parchment paper. Grease the surface.
  8. To shape the pretzels, work on one piece at a time. Cover the rest with a kitchen towel. Roll the piece into a 28 -30 inches long rope.  Now shape it into a U with the two ends pointing away from you. Take the two edges and twist around each other a little away from the ends. First left over right, then right over left.  
  9. Lightly moisten the two ends with water and then flip it towards the bottom of the “U” pressing the ends down. This is the classic pretzel shape.
  10. Prepare pretzels one by one and place them on the baking sheet and cover with a kitchen cloth.
  11. Now with the help of a slotted spoon, lift pretzels and gently put them in boiling water two at a time. Boil pretzels for 30 seconds. Turn over and boil for additional 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, and place the pretzels back on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
  12. Sprinkle some salt on the pretzels. Bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees C for 8-10 minutes for until they are golden brown.
  13. Remove from the oven. Brush generously with melted butter.
  14. Serve warm or reheat before serving.


Linking to BreadBakers.

 #BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.
BreadBakers

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month we are baking Pretzels. Thanks so much to our host   Stacy of Food Lust People Love for this theme. Check out the other Pretzels recipes


·         Authentic German Pretzels from Sara's Tasty Buds
·         Ballpark Pretzels from Karen's Kitchen Stories
·         Beer Pretzels from Passion Kneaded
·         Buttery Pretzels from Ambrosia
·         Cheddar Garlic Soft Pretzels from Palatable Pastime
·         Cheese Jalapeño Stuffed Pretzel Rolls from Herbivore Cucina
·         Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites from Cook's Hideout
·         Cinnamon Toast Pretzel Twists from Hostess At Heart
·         Double Soda Pretzels from Food Lust People Love
·         German Pretzel Rolls from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
·         Honey Mustard Snack Pretzels from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
·         Pretzel Dogs from Sneha's Recipe
·         Pretzel Sticks from A Day in the Life on the Farm
·         Saffron Pretzel Rolls from The Schizo Chef
·         Soft Whole Wheat Pretzels from What Smells So Good?
·         Sourdough Soft Pretzels from Baking Sense
·         Whole Wheat Pretzel Bites from I camp in my kitchen
















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8 comments:

  1. As always, your posts make my heart sing Namita.

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  2. That cream cheese dip sounds great. I could make a dinner of that and the pretzels with soup.

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  3. I love your demonstration photos! Your pretzels are beautiful, and I love the idea of brushing them with butter.

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  4. Such a gorgeous bake! Love the color you got there!!!

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  5. Hmmm, pretzels with cream cheese dip and pea soup sounds like a perfect dinner to me!

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  6. These pretzels look absolutely delicious and I just love seeing your pictures of the birds!

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  7. Aww love your bird pics, such a beautiful sight to enjoy in the morning.
    Pretzels look yumm, with butter they definitely are tempting

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  8. Lovely looking pretzels. They look soft and delicious.
    Those pics of the birds are just amazing.

    ReplyDelete