Old-country buttermilk pretzels

15 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 pack (2-1/4 teaspoons) active
Dry yeast
2 tablespoons Plus 1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup Warm water
⅔ cup Buttermilk or rehydrated
Buttermilk powder
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter or
Margarine
½ cup Cold water
4 cups All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 quarts Water for boiling the
Pretzels
¼ cup Baking soda
Cornmeal for sprinkling on
The baking sheet
1 Egg, lightly beaten
Coarse salt for the tops

Directions

"This is truly a gourmet pretzel -- a step beyond traditional recipes from the Old Country. Excellent with beer or cider, but absolutely irresistible spread with cold sour cream. 350~F. 15 to 25 minutes In a small bowl, combine the yeast with 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the warm water. Set aside in a warm place until the yeast starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, add the butter to the buttermilk and bring to a boil. Stir to melt the butter completely if necessary. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the cold water, stir, and allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl or in the food processor, combine the flour and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture and the cooled buttermilk mixture and mix well. Knead well by hand on a lightly floured surface or by pulsing about 15 to 20 times in the food processor, until the dough is smooth and springy to the touch. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn over to coat all sides. Cover with a damp towel and set the dough in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 1-½ to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and knead a few strokes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and place it in the refrigerator until well chilled, approximately 1 hour.

With a knife, cut the dough into 25 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a cylinder 10 to 12 inches long. (If you prefer larger, soft pretzels, cut the dough into only 15 pieces and roll into cylinders that are 14 to 16 inches long.) You will have a more even-looking cylinder if you place the dough on a firm surface and roll your hands across the top, moving from the center outward. Shape each cylinder into a pretzel by forming a loop in the center, twisting the ends and attaching them to the bottom of the loop. Bring the 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and the remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar to the water. Drop the pretzels into the water one at a time and, with a slotted spoon, remove each one as it pops back up to the surface in about 2 to 3 seconds. Place the pretzels on a towel right side up to drain for a few minutes. Then place them on a baking sheet which has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Preheat the oven to 350~F. Brush the tops with the egg and sprinkle lightly and evenly with coarse salt. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on size, until well browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: 15 large or 25 small pretzels.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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