I spent all winter with the spare bedrooms of my house closed off. Doors were closed, windows shut, and any possible drafts were defeated by stuffing old sweatshirts into the places where cold air leeched through. It cut down on heating costs, but more importantly, it left me with cold, dark areas in my house where I could chuck stuff when I tried to clean up quick.
Fast forward to today, and I've got two bedrooms overflowing with clothes I forgot I had, paperwork with deadlines long past, and all sorts of random things that I meant to throw out but never did. So here I am, writing to you about pretzels instead of cleaning more!
That's because pretzels are way more interested than cleaning and organizing.
Even if you have OCD neatfreakness (which I do not), you have to agree that not much beats a soft, dough, salty pretzel. Especially, if you have that pretzel with some freshly made Queso Cheese Dip!
These pretzels are fluffy and chewy at the same time. I love them best right when they're still warm and fresh.
As someone who had never made pretzels before, I was new to the process. The baking soda method was foreign to me but it produced the chewiest outer crust I've ever had in a pretzel. And dunking this warm doughy goodness in a bowl of hot queso is just.... heavenly.
I'm going to go ahead and keep eating these pretzels so I don't have to face real life and responsibilities. At this rate, spring cleaning will be done somewhere around October....
Salted Pretzels
(adapted from King Arthur Flour)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 packet instant yeast
1 cup lukewarm water (105F)
Soda Bath:
2 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda
Coarse sea salt
Melted butter
In a stand mixer, combine all of the dough ingredients until everything is mixed well and the dough is slightly sticky. Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm area for at least one hour.
For the soda bath, bring the water to a boil over high heat in a small pot. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Let the water cool to lukewarm.
Preheat oven 475F.
Shape the pretzel dough into desired shape and size ( traditional, sticks or bites). Submerge the pretzels in the lukewarm soda bath for 2-3 minutes. Place the pretzels on a greased baking sheet.
Top with a liberal amount of coarse sea salt.
Bake for 8-9 minutes.
Remove from oven and apply a liberal brushing of melted butter over the top.
Serve with Queso Cheese Dip or any other desired condiment.
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