Alton Brown’s Homemade Soft Pretzels

September 22, 2008 | Filed Under Baking | 22 Comments 

Please help me introduce this week’s guest blogger, Rebecca of From Argentina with Love.  Welcome, Rebecca!  So happy you’re here!

Paz 

2008 © From Argentina with Love – All Rights Reserved

One of the things I enjoy most about Paz’s blog is her New York Mondays.  It shows me unique viewpoints of New York, and reminds me of my own New York.  I was so honored when she invited me to guest blog, so that I could share a few of my own New York memories. experiences.

My family is a New York family.  My paternal great-grandparents arrived from Ireland as teenagers to seek the American dream, working as a maid and NYC Firefighter.  Later, their daughter, my grandmother, met her sweetheart while walking through the streets of New York City. The man who would be my grandfather was on leave during WWII–he saw her walking with some friends and invited her to the Marine Corps Ball.  What an era!

On my mother’s side, my great-grandparents emigrated from Sicily.  They opened a floral shop in Brooklyn called Vaccarino Florists, which my grandfather and his brothers ran after their father’s untimely death.  My grandfather also met his true love in WWII–   my grandmother was a US Army officer and nurse.  To woo her, he brought her red roses from the flower shop.  Only, he brought red roses to all the other nurses, too—she out-ranked him, and so their relationship was a war-time secret! 

The two families moved to Long Island in the 1950s, and the kids grew up together.  My mom and dad were childhood playmates!  Many years later, they reunited.  My mom, like her own, was a nurse, my dad, recently returned from a tour in Vietnam, a Marine like his own dad.  They married and moved west, to 50 acres near Durango, Colorado, where they were hippie homesteaders, and where I was born.

Growing up in the west was a vastly different landscape than the bustle of New York City.  When we would fly from the rural west to New York City to spend Christmas, my eyes were opened to a landscape of steel, asphalt, people, and cars.  I loved the excitement of the city!

One of my very fondest memories of New York is the year we went for Christmas when I was 9 years old.  We walked up 5^th Ave. and looked at all the holiday window displays.  If you’ve ever been to New York in December, you know this is every child’s dream! Each and every window holds a fantasy behind glass–I was mesmerized.

We were going to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.  It was bitter cold, winter air cutting through my coat and blowing up under my dress.  But the smell in the air was warm and rich and delicious…soft pretzels and roasted chestnuts.  My parents were struck with a homesickness for this long-forgotten comfort food.  They bought some chestnuts, along with a couple of giant soft pretzels.  My mother stuck them into her purse and brought them into the theater.

The show really was spectacular.  And so are these soft pretzels.  One taste, and I was 9 years old, sitting in the darkened theater at the Radio City Music Hall, wearing nubbly cable-knit tights and my fanciest dress and eating hot soft pretzels.  Doughy and salty, I savored each bite as they defrosted my chill, my eyes feasting on the magnificent sight of the Rockettes, legs moving in cadence to the music, which was spectacular indeed. 

Thanks, Paz, for letting me take a trip down memory lane—and eat some really good pretzels!!

Alton Brown’s Homemade Soft Pretzels

Food Network 

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 

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.