Meat On Your Bones

This is a new part of Skein and Bones that will be dedicated to my cooking/baking exploits. I vary from easy, minutes to table type meals to offerings via my beloved Julia Child.

Today, for the first installment of "Meat On Your Bones" we are going to talk pretzels. Soft, buttery creations that will leave you floating on a happy carb loaded cloud.

Better Than Mall Pretzels

This is a recipe I just tried and was a hit all around. It is warm, delightfully buttery pretzels. Like at the mall, only much better because you can top them with anything you wish. We did some salted, some cinnamon and sugar and even a parmesan cheese pretzel. This makes 8 pretzels, and you can quickly warm any leftovers in the microwave for a few seconds. This recipe is from King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast*

7/8 to 1 cup warm water*

topping:

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

coarse salt

3 tablespoons melted butter

Place all dough ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer and beat until combined. Knead dough by hand or in the mixer for about 5 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. Dust with flour to keep from sticking and place in a plastic bag. Seal bag and let rest for about 30 minutes. *(I used regular yeast instead of instant, and just let it sit in the warm water a few minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.)

Preheat oven to 500°. Prepare two baking sheets by either lightly greasing or lining with parchment paper.

Remove dough from bag and place on a lightly greased work surface. Divide dough evenly into 8 portions. Let rest, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

Combine the 1/2 cup warm water and teaspoon of sugar, mixing until sugar is dissolved. Roll each piece of dough out into a long rope (about 28 inches) and twist into a pretzel shape. Dip pretzels into sugar water and place on prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with coarse salt and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Bake for 8-9 minutes, until pretzels are golden brown. Remove from oven and brush thoroughly with melted butter. Eat warm and enjoy!