In our house, we institute a make-your-own rule when it comes to pizza toppings. I typically roll out 4 individual small round crusts, two for us to eat then and two for lunch the following day. Whatever leftover vegetables lurking in the refrigerator get chopped and the pizzas get topped.
Our pizzas held a combination of cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar and/or feta), quick homemade pizza sauce (tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, herbs, garlic), beets, spinach, onions, olives, and peppers.
The homemade pretzels materialized from a bread machine loaf of dough. These were delicious with some honey mustard, eaten during a Pats game.
makes 8 large pretzels
(adapted from Kitchenmaker Pro Breadmaker Cookbook)
14 oz warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
2 cups bread flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1 Tbsp coarse salt (optional)
Mix all ingredients in a bread machine and set to "dough" setting. When dough cycle is complete, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove dough and place on floured surface. Cut dough into 8 pieces. Roll into 12 inch rope, and shape into a pretzel. Place on a greased cookie sheet, and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
I'm revisiting Zoe Francois's cookbook Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. As we speak, I have a rustic whole wheat loaf rising and ready to be baked off momentarily for egg sandwiches and toast this week.
A rising loaf of bread. A pot of simmering beans. The noises of football and Christmas music in the background. The smell of wood stove smoke from a neighbor's. A thick wool blanket. A snoring cat. The soft living room light. This basically sums up what makes me happy on a Sunday evening.
Question of the Day: What have you been baking lately?
Ooooo I NEED to make pretzels in my bread machine. So there is just a "dough setting" and then you take it out and bake the rest of the way in the oven? Hmm, I'll have to do some tinkering myself. I also need to get bread flour! It's not even 8am and now I want soft pretzels for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteI've been baking a lot of bread too. Do you know if bread maker recipes differ from a KitchenAid or hand kneaded recipe?
ReplyDeleteI think they are the same. The bread maker kneads for just as long as you would need to if you were hand-kneading or using a KitchenAid (I think.)
ReplyDeleteTry dunking your pretzels in a pot of 1 gal water and a cup of baking soda at a boil for 30-50 seconds, flipping half way. It will give you that mahogany crust and no need for the egg wash. Traditional pretzel bakers use lye, but this works almost as well. Egg wash will never come close to a dip in a a strong base, in fact lye is what differentiates pretzels from all other bread. Alton Brown did it and I find that method is the best way to assure a slick, brown crust.
ReplyDelete