The Return of Snack-Time: Homemade Pretzels

I worry that snack-time for adults is seriously underrated.

Why shouldn't we be allowed to have a delicious snack in the afternoon, reward ourselves for having made it that far in the day? 

But, look, I don't need to convince you of this: these pretzels will. 

Some of my fondest memories come from sitting in the English Garden in Munich with some very dear friends, munching on Bavarian pretzels that are roughly the size of my torso. 

Seriously, you can carry them to your table by wearing them on your shoulder like a purse.  But a delicious, edible one.

Unlike many a pretzel you can find at the mall, Bavarian pretzels are not sweet, not soft, and not drenched in butter.  They are real pretzels: salty, crisp on the outside , soft on the inside, begging to be paired with some coarse grain mustard, and perfect to wash down with a good Weissbier. 

Of course, these aren't Bavarian pretzels (I hear Munich's water is 'special'), but they have the 'spirit' of those pretzels, of a sunny afternoon in the English garden, watching the swans and ducks float by, hearing traditional German music floating in the breeze, maybe catching a glimpse of Lederhosen, lingering with friends.  And, all this is just a snack-time away.

And, you will not believe how easy these are to make.  Although, they do have to be left to sit overnight.  But, can also sit for 4 days, so it gives you some flexibility.

You start by stirring together your flour, salt, and brown sugar (just a touch, mind you)
 
Dissolve the yeast in some water.

Mix the yeast/water and melted butter in with the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon and stir until it forms a ball.

Then stir for 2 more minutes.  Let rest 5.  And stir for 3 more minutes.  

Plop it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute more (and that's it for the kneading!).  Form it into a ball and throw it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 4 days.

When you are ready for a snack, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  And, dissolve some baking soda in warm water.  This is key because it is what ensures that the pretzels get a nice hard crust on the outside.  In the old days, people would use food grade LYE to make pretzels.  Seriously.  But, since that seems hard to come by and not something I really want to think about, you use this mixture instead.

Take the dough out and roll it into 2 ounce balls for small pretzels or 3 ounce balls for large ones.  Roll the pretzels out so they are 17 inches.

Warning: the gluten may be pretty tough when you do this and your pretzels are liable to shrink after you have rolled them.  Don't worry, just roll them out, give the gluten time to rest, roll again, and so forth.  I must admit, I haven't fully mastered this part, but next time, I think I will roll them out and let them rest for quite a few minutes so the gluten relaxes and they come up to temperature.

Then, you shape the pretzels: fold the ends over each other.

Next cross fold the ends of the ends over each other.

A finally, take that knot and bring it up to the top.  So it, you know, looks like a pretzel.
 
[a less than glamorous earlier attempt]

Sprinkle with coarse salt (I used fleur de sel and loved it!).
 
Pop in the oven for 8 minutes.  Rotate, then bake 8-10 minutes more.
 
And, look, if your pretzels shrunk back into themselves so they look more like pretzel knots than pretzels,

they are still going to taste fantastic!  And it gives them, er, character. 

And, a reason to tackle them again to perfect the rolling out process.

Let the pretzels cool slightly.
 
Serve with mustard (my favorite is a mix of lots of coarse grain, just a little Dijon to hold it together, and a dash of honey for good measure).

Welcome back, snack-time!  

Soft Pretzels (Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day)
Makes 12-17

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups (20 oz/567g) unbleached bread flour
1 3/4 tsp (.4 oz/11g) salt, or 2 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons (.75oz/21g) brown sugar
1 tsp (.11oz/3g) instant yeast
1 1/2 cups (12oz/340g) lukewarm water (about 95 degrees F)
2 Tablespoons (1oz/28.5g) vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
8 tsp (2oz/57g) baking soda, for dipping
2 cups (16oz/454g) warm water (about 100 degrees F)

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.  In a different bowl, combine the water and yeast, let sit for about 1 minute.  Next, add the water/yeast mixture and the oil into the bowl with the flour, salt, and sugar.

Use a wooden spoon and stir everything together.  It should not take longer than a minute and you should be left with a coarse ball.  Now continue mixing by hand for about 2 minutes and subsequently let the dough rest for 5 minutes.  Again mix by hand for 3 minutes, adjusting the water or flour as needed to form a smooth, lightly tacky ball.  On a lightly floured surface knead the dough for one minute, form a ball, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 4 days.

On the day you plan to bake, combine the baking soda and warm water in a bowl.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Right after taking the dough out of the refrigerator roll 2oz (56.5g) pieces into 17 inch ropes for smaller pretzels and 3-oz (85g) for larger pretzels.  If the roll shrinks back, just repeat the process.*  Line a sheet pan with a piece of parchment and mist with spray oil.  Form the dough into pretzels (see above): first, cross the ends over each other, then cross the bottom of those ends over each other, then bring that knot to the middle of the top.  It should now look like a pretzel.  Dip in the baking soda/water solution.  Place them on the pan and sprinkle lightly with salt (or whatever topping you like).  Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and back another 8-10 minutes.  Let the pretzels cool slightly on a wire rack.

*They will shrink back, I think.  So, let them have a rest (say 5-10 minutes) after you first roll them out and try it again.  I found you can really tell if they will shrink when you shape them into pretzel form.  So, pay attention there, and if they shrink, just stretch them out again and give them a rest.

Black&Blueberry Muffins

Sometimes I look around my refrigerator and it is excessive how many cartons of berries I find.  Does one person really need two cartons of blueberries, two cartons of blackberries, and a carton of strawberries to boot?
 
No, of course not, but when it is finally spring and the berries are gorgeous and tasty, I feel the need to horde them.  Which, of course, is absurd.

On the upside, it leads me to all sorts of new ways to use them, like these yogurt-based berry muffins.

The muffin itself is not too sweet (in fact, next time I might add some decorators sugar to the top), and the crumb is not fluffy like cake, and not dense like bread, but somewhere nicely in between.  The lemon zest also adds a nice brightness.

All in all, at least one way out of an excessive berry crisis.

As ever, these muffins are so easy to make.  Begin by rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar, and then whisking the sugar with the other dry ingredients.  Now,

toss the berries with a tablespoon of those dry ingredients, to keep them from sinking to the bottom.

Time for the wet ingredients, including good yogurt.
 
Whisk them together in a big measuring cup.
 
Make a well and add them to your dry ingredients, mixing until not quite incorporated.
 
Then toss in the berries, and mix gently until everything is just incorporated.

Ice-cream scoop them into the muffin tins.

Bake until the berries are oozing and you can't stand how delicious the air smells.

Let them cool in the tin for about five minutes.

Then remove to a wire rack, and enjoy the benefits of making the most (and then some) of spring!

Black & Blue Berry Muffins (adapted from joyofbaking)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries and/or blackberries (and/or raspberries) [don't defrost if frozen]
1 cup plain yogurt (regular or low fat [I would go for regular])
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup saffron, canola, or corn oil [I would go for saffron]
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
decorator's sugar (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips, until moist and fragrant.  Whisk the lemon-sugar together with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Remove 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and toss them with the berries.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, egg, oil, and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients.  With a rubber spatula, mix until almost combined.  Gently stir in the berries, until the ingredients are just combined.

Using an ice-cream scoop (or spoon), fill the muffin cups with the batter.  Sprinkle each with some decorator's sugar [optional].  Place in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about five  minutes, before removing from pan.

Blackberry Preserves: our 100th post!

In honor of this being the 100th post on Bicoastal Chefs, I thought I would share something very dear to my heart: Blackberry Preserves 

For me, no preserve can beat a blackberry preserve.

I'm sure my preference is, in part, due to their nuance: somehow luscious and bright at the same time.

But, more than anything they remind me of home.  Picking blackberries in the backyard by the bucketful.  Popping them into your mouth while they are still sun-kissed.  Stains on your hands, stains on your shirt. 

That's the essence of a blackberry preserve.    

And, although these berries will never be as good as those of summers past, they aren't too shabby either.

The canning process for these preserves is, as with all my berry preserves, quick and rewarding. Get them all into your Dutch oven.

Sprinkle them with sugar.

Use your hand to scrunch the sugar into the berries.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Let it simmer for 30 minutes or so.  Add a squeeze of lemon if you like.  And you're done.

That is, unless you want to lick the measuring cup.

And the 'bowl'.  Like you are making cookies or something.

Here's to enjoying the taste of home.

[the previously posted]
Berry Preserves (adapted from my father and Jamie at Home)
Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh berries (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
1/2 cup sugar
Squeeze of lemon (optional)

Directions:
Sterilize jars* and put a couple plates in the freezer.

Wash and dry the berries. Pour the berries into a 10-inch wide pot. Pour the sugar on top of the berries. Squnch the berries with your hands until all of the sugar has dissolved. Put the pan over medium heat, and simmer the berries for 20-30 minutes. Skim off the foam and stir every five minutes. Stir more frequently towards the end.  Add some lemon if you like, to try and preserve the color.

In order to test for doneness, remove the pot from the heat. Then, take the plate out of the freezer and put a small spoonful of the syrup on the plate. Put the plate back in the freezer for 3 minutes. Take the plate out and draw your finger through the middle. If the two sides of the syrup slowly come back together, then you have soft set preserves. If the two sides do not come back together at all, then you have medium-firm set preserves. If the lines quickly run together, return the pot to heat and continue to simmer until done.

Ladle the preserves into the sterilized jars, and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

*In order to sterilize jars, wash the jars and then place them in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Leave the jars in the hot water while your berries are cooking down. 

A Visiting Cake!

This cake is called a 'Swedish Visiting Cake'.  And, yes, I made it almost exclusively for the name. 

Well, that and the fact that the Bicoastal Chef from the East Coast paid me a visit out here in the West.

This cake is very simple: the flavor base is lemon, vanilla, and almonds.  Unlike far too many dry cakes I make, this cake is delightfully moist.  And topped with a nice layer of crunchy almonds.

And, did I mention you can make it with one bowl and mix it together in approximately 5 minutes.  Yes, it is a wonder cake.  Thank you, Dorie Greenspan.

Start by rubbing the sugar together and lemon zest.
 
Next, add in the eggs.  Then add the salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Then, stir in the flour. 

And, last stir in the melted butter (yup, melted, so you don't have to allow for time for it to come to room temp).

Pour the batter into a buttered (and floured) 9 inch pan (cake pan, cast-iron skillet, pie plate... whatever you have).

Scatter some sliced almonds of top.
 
Pop it in the oven and 30 minutes later you have a wonderful little cake on your hands.

The cake may be a bit hard to get out of the pan, so don't be afraid to serve it straight from the pan.

And, enjoy this lovely way to let your visitors know how delighted you are that they have come to see you!

Swedish Visiting Cake (from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar, plus a little more for sprinkling
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 tsp pure almond extract (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick (8 tablespoons) melted butter
About 1/4 cup sliced almonds [next time, I will up it to 1/3-1/2 cup, I loved this part]

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast iron skillet or 9-inch round cake pan or pie pan.

Pour the sugar into a medium bowl.  Add the lemon zest and blend the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar is moist and aromatic.  Whisk in the eggs one at a time.  Whisk in the salt and the extracts, if you're using them [which you should!].  Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour.  Finally, fold in the melted butter.

Scrape the batter into the skillet/pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.  Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar.  If you're using a cake pan or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.

Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist.  Remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it.  You can serve the cake, warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turn out onto a serving place.

Serves 8-10