Hello there =)

Every now and then, my boyfriend finds a recipe online he’d like to try.  Now we’re a pretty simple couple in terms of our meals and eating habits, and by simple I mean impatient.  Monday through Friday, if it can’t be done in 20-40 minutes we’re not having it.

These new recipes are usually more involved so they make great weekend ventures for us to do together.  Nothing says love like bumping into each other in the kitchen.  Full disclosure: I’m the one in the way; I clean up as we cook and follow him around like a puppy sometimes.

The most recent culinary adventure: homemade soft pretzels.

At about 9pm on a Saturday night we decide to give this 2 hour project a go.  Sounds reasonable, right? ;)

He found the recipe on The Food Network as most of the recipes we try are from there.  A whole network dedicated to food?  It has to be good.  Of course we make changes here and there, but mostly out of convenience considering we jump into them at odd hours.

Doesn’t that look yummy?

Now, I’m not a foodie nor do I consider myself to be a food blogger, but I thought it’d be fun to have some recipes here from time to time.  I mean, eating is the best party of celebrating life right?!

I listed the changes we made to the recipe in the notes below but I’ll put them here too =)

• We used salted butter instead of kosher salt and unsalted butter.
• We did not put pretzel salt on prior to baking; we used a garlic salt butter mixture brushed on top after baking
  • This would be good for dipping in too!
• We do not have a stand mixer; a bowl and hand mixer with dough hooks worked fine.

Give it try, let me know how yours turn out.  Forgive the lack of pictures and the couple crappy ones… I have yet to learn how to work miracles with my camera at 10pm in a poorly lit kitchen.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Recipe from The Food Network

These homemade soft pretzels are a warm, bready treat that can curb that carb craving. Simple to make and reheats nicely.

• Course: Snacks
• Servings: 8 pretzels
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Passive Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup(s) water warm, 110 to 115 degrees F
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 package active, dry yeast
• 4 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces unsalted butter melted
• 2-3 TBSP vegtable oil for pan
• 10 cup(s) water
• 2/3 cup(s) baking soda
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 TBSP water
• pretzel salt

Instructions

1. Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
2. Add the flour and butter; using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl. Alternatively, you can use a new bowl (oiled) instead of cleaning the 1st one.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
6. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
7. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined sheet pan.
8. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large spatula. Return to the half sheet pan.
9. Brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes.
10. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
11. Enjoy! =)

Recipe Notes

This recipe is an Alton Brown delight from the show Good Eats via The Food Network. You can find the original recipe here.

We made some changes to the recipe, mostly just a matter of convenience.

• For ingredients – we used salted butter in place of of kosher salt and unsalted butter.
• In Steps 1 and 2 – we used a plain ole bowl and a hand mixer with dough hook attachments.
• In Step 9 – instead of pretzel salt before baking, we made a garlic butter sauce (butter and garlic salt) and lightly brushed over the baked pretzels once they cooled.