Ingredients
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water 4 c flour
2 tsp salt
1 kosher or margarita salt
Directions
Dissolve yeast thoroughly in 1/4 cup warm water. Mix 3 cups flour
and salt in large bowl. Add yeast with remaining 1 cup water. Add
enough additional flour to make dough stiff. Knead 10 minutes or till
dough feels elastic. Form into ball. Place in bowl and spread with
butter. Cover with towel and let rise till doubled, about 45 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 small balls and roll between hands (or on
counter) to form a rope. Form into pretzel shapes, wetting and
pinching ends firmly. Dissolve baking soda in 4 cups water and bring
to a boil. Drop pretzels, a few at a time, in water and boil till
they float to the top, about 1 minute. Remove and drain. Place on
buttered baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 475 for 15-20
minutes or till golden brown. Place on rack to cool. I used to make
these a lot when my husband had to do field time in the army.
According to all the guys, they warm up pretty good and are excellent
with some German scharfer senf (sharp/hot mustard).
Lou.Ramsay@salata.com
Servings: 12 servings
Philly Soft Pretzels Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Appetizer; Bread; Breads
The History of Recipes
Food historians have tracked the existence of recipes far back into the distant past, at least as far back into recorded history as ancient Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, in the main part, these ancient cookbooks were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for meal preparation.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to experts is a collection of tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel blissful. As we move into The time of the roman empire 25BC a roman called Apicius created a few scripts describing recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his works, he describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were divided into appetizers, entrees and afters, a very modern way of dining. Additionally, he recounts how the cooks of Roman times used a wide range of herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs like bay, rue and parsley. As our culinary historical trip moves to more modern times we find a couple of interesting books which date from the fourteenth century ; a recipe book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another entitled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these two books are nothing to do with the curry that we all know today, but rather recipes for the types of meals prepared by the cooks of the wealthy. In the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many spices and herbs from Arab cuisine, including parsley and basil. These new foods and tastes led to a surge in manuscripts on cooking, most of which are now in private libraries. Over the next few centuries, the families of Europe competed with each other to serve up the most exotic meals, and because of this the best cooks and their recipe collections became highly prized. However, it was during the 1800s that cooking and recipe books rose to prominence. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to assembling, verifying, and publishing recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. By the arrival of the twentieth century, cookbooks were in high demand, mostly due to higher levels of literacy, more leisure time and disposable income. The introduction of television gave us cooking programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the internet revolution, allowing everybody to search through thousands of recipes just like those on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Philly Soft Pretzels recipe.
