Philly soft pretzel plus#

As the lye begins to dissolve, it will let out a single quick burst of fumes that aren’t pleasant to breathe in, so try not to breathe over the bowl during the mixing process. Measure out 1/8 cup of the lye, and slowly stir it into the water until it is dissolved. Set a wide plastic container or bowl into your sink, and fill it with 2 cups of water. Now, make a lye solution for dipping the pretzels. I’ve also been rocking my ski goggles for eye protection, but that’s probably overkill because I haven’t had any splashes. You’ll definitely want to wear rubber gloves when working with it.

Yes, lye can be dangerous and corrosive (have you read Fight Club or the Silkworm?), but it’s also easy to manage safely. Now it’s time to turn your pretzels into…pretzels. When that time is up, preheat your oven to 425° F. Cover the formed pretzels with plastic wrap again, and allow them to rise for 1 hour. Repeat the folding process with the rest of the pretzels.

Gently stretch the pretzel’s two lobes into an eight shape, and place the pretzel back on the parchment paper, with the folded over piece on the bottom touching the pan so it doesn’t come undone. Then, fold the twisted ends over and stick them to the center of the rope. Twist the two ends of the rope together- about 2 twists should do it. Once the 30 minute resting time is up, roll a piece of the dough into a long rope. I don’t know why they’re different, but I do know that the eight shape is more efficient you can definitely fit more pretzels on a single pan. Philly soft pretzels are shaped like eights, not like the normal pretzels you’ll find just about everywhere else. If you tried shaping the dough now, it would just snap back into its original shape. This resting time is important because it will allow the gluten you developed in the dough to relax enough to shape the dough into pretzels. Set the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover them loosely with plastic wrap. Remove the dough from the bowl, and divide it into 8 equal pieces. The bread flour helps with gluten development too because it contains more than all-purpose flour does. Seriously, set a timer– it’s very important to knead thoroughly to develop a proper amount of gluten in the pretzels or else they’ll just be pretzel-shaped breads. Swap the mixer’s paddle for the dough hook, and knead the dough on a high speed for 9 minutes. If the yeast disintegrates and begins to puff up, it’s good, and you can pour it and the water into the dough together. Note: If you’re nervous about whether your yeast is good or not, you could add it into the warm water instead of mixing it into the flour. If the dough feels too dry, mix in 1 teaspoon of warm water, and test it again. Touch the dough: it should have a very slight tackiness to it. Using the mixer’s paddle attachment, stir in 1 cup of warm water until the dough comes together and picks up all of the flour. If the salt makes direct contact with the yeast, it could kill it.

Philly soft pretzel plus#

Stir those ingredients together, and then stir in 1.75 teaspoons (1/2 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon) of kosher salt. Then add 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of softened butter, and 1/2 tablespoon of active dry yeast. I am now deep in the most pathetic measure of all- making them myself- but they are freaking fantastic, and if you don’t live in Philly, then I urge you to make them too.įor a batch of 8, add 15 ounces (3 cups) of bread flour to the bowl of a stand mixer. But everyone knows that soft pretzels are best on the day they’re made. I’ve resorted to pathetic measures to get my pretzel fix during my 9+ years in DC, even getting them mailed and stashing them in my freezer. She’d arrive home to deliver hollow, golden pretzel shells. Or when my mom was in school and was tasked with buying pretzels for her family, only to reach inside her desk during the day, picking away at each pretzel’s soft, white center. Or pretzel Wednesdays in school where more sheets of pretzels still warm from the factory oven would appear in my classroom. A quarter bought a delicious snack, and when the pretzel was gone, I’d eat the salt off of my desk. When the kids on my street saw his car pull into the driveway, we’d chant “Sam, Sam, the pretzel man” and run over for our delicious handout.

Like of my neighbor who made deliveries at pretzel factories, where he would fill up his trunk with sheets of pretzels still warm from the oven. Having grown up in that city, their delicious abundance forms the centerpiece of countless memories. In Philadelphia, soft pretzels are a significant and constant presence in life.