SOFT PRETZELS!

Grab your beer.

Quickly.

And make these Pretzels.



They will change your life. I know, I know. AKKKK YEASTTTTT!!!! I have already told you, it's not scary. It's actually quite invigorating. When I successfully make something with yeast I am on a excitment giddy high for hours. It's like an amazing performance adrenaline high... Okay maybe not that good, but close!!! These pretzels are amazingly easy because they don't have multiple rises, which make them much faster.


Adapted from Alton Brown's Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Now get creative with your toppings!

I made:

Cinnamon Sugar

Asiago

Sea Salt

Such a happy pretzel...

Half sea salt, half asiago....

That orange light is killing me....

Enjoy!

O.S.M.

The abbreviation of the day is O.S.M.
What does is stand for you ask?!
OHHH SNAP, MOM!
NO.
Opera Sounds Magical?
NO.
Operation Silent Media?
I wish, but NO.

Oats Sunflower Millet?
YESSSSSS

There is this place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming called the Bunnery. It is a magical place, a place that when I am older (and retired from my lovely job as a ballerina) I will aspire to build a bakery/restaurant that will in hopes become as adorable and delicious as this place.
(WOWZA NOW THAT'S A RUN ON SENTENCE! Too bad I am keepin' it.)
Everything on the menu is sure to be delicious. On my first run in with the Bunnery, I had the Pesto Paintbrush Sandwich. A variety of fresh veggies that were so vibrant and bright it took me about 20 minutes to build up the courage to eat the thing. It was on their famous O.S.M. bread and slathered with homemade pesto and cream cheese. The bread is kind of out of this world. So after this delicious lunch I made a plan to make sure we hit this joint on the way back through Jackson to catch my flight home. This time the culprit was breakfast... DUN DUN DUN.

OH SNAP, MOM!
O.S.M. PANCAKES
How can you resist?
(If you know how, give me a tip...... ha ha)
They were out of this world. Served piping hot with warm Vermont maple syrup... BOMB SAUCE. Nothing better, folks, nothing better.


Before the second rise

Baked and happy



Anywhoodle, I am here to give you the recipe to the O.S.M. bread I found on another blog. She also went to the Bunnery and get this... had the O.S.M. pancakes. I think she was about as excited as I was... Here is her recipe.

From Dana's Blog:
proofofthepudding.worldpress.com

Oat Sunflower Millet Bread (OSM Bread)

This bread is great served warm for breakfast, slathered in butter or covered with some fresh apple butter. It is also perfect for making sandwiches, and it makes some stellar toast.

2 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 package (2 1/2 teaspoons) dry active yeast
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup canola or safflower oil
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup millet
2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
3-4 cups whole wheat flour

Mix together the lukewarm water and honey in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and stir until dissolved. Allow the yeast to proof for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast rises to the surface and starts to foam.

Stir the oil into the yeast mixture. Then add 1 cup of bread (or all-purpose) flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour and beat with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment until the batter is smooth and glossy. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Add the salt, oatmeal, sunflower seeds and millet to the bowl; stir down the dough and blend in. Add the remaining cup of bread flour and stir well. Gradually add in the remainder of the whole wheat flour. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 10 minutes (or, switch to the dough hook on your mixer — this will take less time), until the dough is soft, but not sticky. Place the dough in a large bowl that has been oiled, cover and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two 9″x5″ loaf pans and line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the longer sides of the pan (this will make it easier for you to lift the loaves out of the pans). Punch down the dough and knead lightly and briefly to deflate. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a loaf, and place a loaf in each pan. Allow the loaves to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

About 20 minutes before you bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the loaves for about 40 minutes, until the loaves are nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped (the internal temperature should be around 200°F). Allow the loaves to cool in the pans for a few minutes, then lift out of the pans using the parchment paper and let them cool completely.

Yield: Two 9″x5″ loaves

GEMMA! Back away from the dough...