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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Pretzel Rolls

I wasn't the best this week either for What I Ate Wednesday, especially the veggie part.




I lacked veggies. Even my good intentions were foiled by the trails of eating on the road.


Breakfast consisted of a coffee with chocolate soy milk before I left for the airport at 6:30am.  Around 9am I had a strawberry banana smoothie which I promptly downed before taking a photo. 

Around 11am mid my first flight I had a banana I stashed away from home along with one peanut and one pretzel snack pack.  Traveling makes me extremely nervous when it comes to food. I tend to always have something with me like a granola  bar or fruit.  I think of them like good luck charms.  When they are available everything goes smoothly. If I forget, flights are delayed and meals are missed. 


Lunch was had at the lovely Atlanta airport.  This is actually one of my least favorite airports, second only to MCI in Kansas City.  Unfortunately today I hit both.  I ordered a side salad which was a side Greek salad and a Caprese panini.  The salad was alright but at least there was some greens for the day.  The sandwich was warm but the tomatoes were the same color as the cheese with no flavor. 


Dinner was a bit of a disaster as well.  The massive salad above was their side salad. I call this meal one.  It was actually my favorite part.

Meal two was not so hot.  I decided on the ribs since I was in Kansas and all.  The poor waiter messed up my 1/2 rack of ribs order with the sampler of brisket, chicken and ribs.  It worked out well though because the chicken was my favorite part.  The sides were mac N cheese and steamed broccoli.  I thought I was being good with the broccoli but it was so salty that after the second floret I couldn't dare have any more.  The little mac N cheese portion was the best part and the only thing I wiped clean. 


At times eating out can have its perks...but days like this really make me long for a homemade meal. 

But enough of that here is the part of the post I am excited for...


Week two of the bread making was equally as successful.  Mr. J was beyond thrilled when I mentioned that I was going to be making pretzel rolls.


I need to learn to read the full recipe before I begin the process. I was all ready to turn the oven on only to reason I had another 30 minute rise before the rolls would be ready to go in.


I also made the mistake of telling Mr. J that they were going to be done soon and then they weren't.  Although there were a few extra steps with two rises, poaching the dough, brushing the egg wash and salting each were very easy.  The kitchen almost immediately begins to smell of pretzels once they go into the oven. It is not easy waiting for them to finish baking.


No more than two seconds of them being out of the oven Mr. J was wandering in circles around the kitchen waiting.   Good thing they are best served warm.  Makes for the perfect excuse to dig in quickly.





Salted Preztel Rolls
by Adapted from My Life as a Mrs.
Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus rise time
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients (8 rolls)
  • 1 ½ cup warm water (110°F)
  • 1 package active dry yeast (not instant rise yeast)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 4-½ cups unbleached all-purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted Butter, melted
  • ¼ cups baking soda
  • 1 whole egg, lightly beaten
  • Pretzel Salt, for sprinkling
Instructions

In the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with the dough hook attachment), add the water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and let rest 5-10 minutes until foamy.

Add the flour, salt, and melted butter and mix using the dough hook until combined well. Cover with a plastic wrap (or a towel) and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured clean surface.

Line 1 large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Cut the dough into 8 pieces . To shape the dough take a piece of dough and start forming a round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal. Place, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling the ball around the palm of your hand.

Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet pinched seam side down, with at least 1” between each roll. Cover with a towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes until they rise & double.

Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven rack in the middle position. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil. Remove from heat and slowly add the baking soda place back on heat and lower to a simmer.

Place 2-3 of the rolls at a time into the poaching liquid, seam side down. Poach for 30 seconds and then carefully turn the roll over and poach for another 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same prepared sheet pan, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

Using a pastry brush, brush each roll with the beaten egg, making sure to coat all sides completely & then sprinkle each roll with a little pretzel salt. Using a sharp straight edged knife, cut a slash (or 2) -or- an “X” shape in the top of each roll. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot!

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22 comments:

  1. I do love soft pretzels and I can think of many delicious uses for these wonderful rolls! The perfect bread for a deli sandwich for starters. Yours turned out so beautifully toasty-you should be proud. Wish you had a bakery, for I would surely buy some-yum!

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  2. You did a great job with these! After it was all said and done, I t thought they were much easier than I thought they would be to make!

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    1. Yea, the list of steps seems big but they weren't so difficult on their own. It was a fun experience.

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  3. I'm not a big fan of the Atlanta airport either - it's way too big and hard to get in and out of! At least your rolls were a nice welcome home. Glad you had safe travels!

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  4. Honestly the one time I've had pretzel rolls they were put out as the free bread, we (meaning my boyfriend & I) ate the whole basket in like 2 minutes. They're amaaaazing! I've never seen a recipe for them and now I'm so excited! I have to try these.
    -Lacy @ NYCityEats

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  5. i LOVE pretzel rolls. so easy to make at home!

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  6. Mmmm, the pretzel rolls look fantastic! Being German, my pretzels are important to me ;)

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  7. Pretzel rolls?? Umm, yes please! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe, I've always wanted to make my own! :)

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  8. I love pretzel rolls especailly for my burgers.

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    1. Yumm...burgers. That is actually one of the reasons I wanted to make them. They are popping up on burger menus everywhere.

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  9. Those pretzel rolls look so yummy. I think my kids would really like those

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  10. I have been wanting to make pretzel rolls and yours look so good! I would have snuck these into my airport bag for sure :) I like traveling with snacks too, but always get nervous about what I can bring through security and what's off limits.

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    1. Lessons learned: one yogurt is OK, but two is no good. PB and Jelly is OK but not the mini containers unless they fit into the toiletry bag...but I think that is kind of gross.

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  11. I had a layover in Atlanta last summer. That airport is huge and pretty crazy to navigate. I'm like you - I always travel with snacks. Definitely a smart thing to do!

    These pretzel rolls look so good. I've never had pretzel rolls before but I love soft pretzels so I'm sure I would enjoy them. I like baking with yeast too (I love the smell of proofing yeast - weird, I know) so I'm putting these on my to-do list!

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    1. The Atlanta airport is my second least favorite airport. Kansas City is the worst but for reason completely different from Atlanta. I have learned to always have extra time when transferring in Atlanta.

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  12. Wow - these pretzels look amazing! It's tough to eat healthy when you travel....and it can cost $$$ if you want to eat delicious every time! Good for you for working so hard on it! I guess when you travel as much as you do, you've got to!

    LOVE the pretzel balls and my honey bunny would be circling the kitchen waiting for them to cool down enough to eat, too!

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  13. These look absolutely lovely! Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Pretzel rolls?? Yes please! My lord...I can only imagine how out of this world a grilled cheese made with one of these rolls would be. Excuse me while I wipe my drool up...

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  15. Oh man, now I am sad they are all gone. The grilled cheese is a marvelous idea!

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  16. I need to get off my butt and make these! They have been on my list for way too long!

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  17. Hehe, that is exactly how my hubby acts around regular pretzels. Oh, our silly boys :) They rolls look fantastic Emily. Thanks for participating in the YBR!

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  18. I've been making soft pretzels for a while and they are so good when made at home. I'll have to try making rolls. We've had them in restaurants a few times and always loved them. I think I'll have to make them next time I have dinner guests.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Joanne

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