Homemade Yeast Pretzels.



I finally tackled the yeast monster.
I would like to be able to say that I did it perfectly and it was so completely easy but well I messed up. Go figure. I probably should have researched a little more and got more comfortable with how to use it but I was feeling ambitious and just wanted to go! Well bad move, instead of using dry active yeast I used high active yeast, or something like that. As I began to knead I knew that something wasn't right. My dough was dry, and crumbly and the recipe specifically said it should feel tacky. Ok, something isn't right.

To the store I go. To get dry active yeast.

With the left over dough I felt like it was just too sad to throw away so I turned the oven on at 425, sprayed some cooking spray on "rolls" that I had made out of it and stuck it in. I watched the time and eventually whipped them out. What appeared seemed rather pleasing. See I am a bread lover. You put a giant cookie in front of me and a loaf of bread, well lets just say the cookie can go to the cookie monster. I want my bread. So maybe these rolls were horrible but I couldn't help but like them. I mean you could defiantly tell something was a little off but I didn't die when I ate them! So their good to me.

Back to the pretzels. These pretzels were good. I got the approval from my best friend, parents, and my boyfriend. That's pretty good, right? After I got the correct yeast, it worked out fine. These did take a long time to make but mostly because of having to roll out each pretzel and shaping them. It really wasn't too bad through, much better then I would have thought. And so the yeast demon is defeated. I can use yeast and oh how I plan too. Nothing beats the taste of freshly made bread. Yum.

Homemade Pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 cups water
• 2 tbs baking soda
• 1 tsp cornmeal
• 1 tsp water
• 1 egg
• salt or sesame seeds for toppings

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water together and let sit for 5 minutes. Make sure the yeast is active.

Combine the 3 cups flour and salt together and slowly add it to yeast mixture. Stir until dough forms. Prepare a surface to knead the dough with a lightly floured surface. Put dough out and begin to knead for about 8 minutes, adding flour if sticky. Try to add as small amount as possible. Place dough into a large bowl coated with cooking spray, covering with a wet towel. Let rise for 40 min.

Press dough with two fingers. If indentation remains then the dough is ready. Punch dough down and cover again for another 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425

Divide dough into 12 portions and roll out the dough and shape into a pretzel. Place on a baking sheet, slightly coated with cooking spray. Keep dough covered as you continue the process. Cover and let rise for 10 min after you have made all 12 pretzels.

Combine 6 cups of water and baking soda in an non aluminum dutch oven. Bring to a boil and let simmer. Lower one pretzel into the water and cook for 15 sec and flip over and cook for another 15 sec. Continue with remaining pretzels.

Place pretzels on a baking sheet coated with cornmeal. Mix egg and water together and brush the pretzels with the mixture. Coat with according toppings.

Place in oven for 12 min.

Your homemade pretzels are ready to eat!

Oh, and this recipe is once again courtesy of cooking light. Seriously get the book, it is amazing!