The Bread Project #3

This time, my attempt at making bread failed. It's not so fun to write about something that didn't turn out, but hey, it happens. I went for pretzel bread. It seemed simple enough and I love pretzels. During the school year when I have a break I walk to the closest bakery and get a pretzel stick. I always thought that making pretzels was difficult but it's really not... if you do it right! 

"With bread all sorrows are less” - Sancho Panza, Don Quixote 

I associate pretzels with Germany even though I've never been, however I imagine that if I were to go to Germany I would eat a lot of brats and pretzels. So I did a little research. Some accounts say that pretzels originated in Italy, others in France and Germany. The only place though that has historical documentation is Germany from 1111 ! 

Do you see the pretzel? 

Hortus Delicarum- 1185 from an abby manuscript in Alsace

The pretzel is considered a very spiritual type of bread. Many records of pretzel making come from monasteries and in the traditional looking pretzel the  knot is like folded hands praying and the three holes represent the Holy Trinity. 

I didn't roll out the dough and make traditional pretzels, instead I found a recipe that was for a loaf of bread. 

 This recipe also called for the KitchenAid and some kneading. 

The problem was that my dough didn't rise. I used some yeast which I think is supposed to be instant. It needs to be kept in the refrigerator. The recipe said not to dissolve the yeast, so I didn't. However this, having been in the fridge and not dissolved I don't think it mixed well or had the right properties to do what yeast does. 

 But since I had already made the dough and waited at least 4 hours to see if it would rise, I thought I might as well finish the process and see how it turns out. What's interesting about pretzels is that they are "cooked" in a baking soda solution for 2 minutes to create the Maillard Reaction. This is what gives it that tough, thick, brown outer coating.

 So I baked my two tiny little pretzel loaves, but not having risen they were heavy, dense, and felt like rocks. The taste wasn't so bad, but it definitely isn't how a pretzel should be. It was easy enough to make and now I know I'll either use dry yeast or try to dissolve the refrigerated kind the next time I attempt pretzels!  

I looked around for a few recipes and this one from Allrecipes seemed to give the smallest quantity and the most simple. I didn't have Fleischmann's RapidRise yeast and so that might explain why it didn't rise....

Pretzel Bread

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 27 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour 49 Minutes Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS:

Dough: 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast 2 teaspoons salt 3 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed

Boiling Solution: 3 quarts water 3/4 cup baking soda Egg Wash: 1 egg 1 teaspoon water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat milk and butter until warm (100 degrees to 110 degrees F); the butter will not completely melt. Combine with undissolved yeast and brown sugar in a large mixer bowl. Stir in salt and 2 cups flour, beat for 3 minutes. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3.	Combine boiling solution and bring to a boil. Punch dough down and divide into 2 equal pieces. Form each piece into a tight, smooth ball. Boil each loaf in the solution for 2 minutes, turning after 1 minute. Remove loaves from pot using a slotted spoon and place on a greased baking sheet.
4.	Brush with egg wash and cut a cross in the top. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes until the loaves are evenly browned. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.