September 22, 2008 | Filed Under Baking
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 5th 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.
Comments
Dear Rebecca: Thanks for taking us down memory lane with you. I enjoyed reading about your family and your visit to NYC when you were a young girl. I could feel that cold air you described, taste that soft pretzel, and see the Rockettes dancing. I can’t wait to make my own soft pretzels!
Paz
Those Pretzels looks fabulous! A delicious treat! Thanks for the interesting post!
Cheers,
Rosa
This is a great recipe and a great photo, Rebecca! Paz, you have to try this one. It’ll make you want to dance like a Rockette.
Oh, how yummy! I miss soft pretzels! We don’t have them here in Norway, so on trips home to America I try to get them and savor them while we’re there. I’ve not made then before though, oddly enough…Must remedy and try. Thanks for the recipe, Rebecca! Happy Days
)
Rebecca – I really enjoyed reading your story. Thank you for sharing.
Lori Lynn
Rebecca~
I was there with you~ I really enjoyed reading your memory.
They are the best~ the very most wonderful memories, really are just that sweet & simple.But~ So Rich.
Paz~ tomorrow~ I make the my last”Italian Prune Plum Pie” of the season.It really is my favorite desert,these plums are available in late summer, till about now.It is my sweet Mom-in-Laws recipe~ I choose it for my birthday desert, with vanilla ice cream. You would love it.~Amy~
oh I love this post, reminding me something we did in NYC in those years…
I hope you are getting better Paz. I love pretzels , yet never have attempted to make them. You have some great guest bloggers!
What wonderful memories, and a wonderful family history. Those were indeed different times.
Paz, Mari says these pretzels will have you wanting to dance like a rockette, I vote you give it a try and see how you feel! (Hope you continue to get better!)
What a wonderful memories Rebecca. I really enjoy my reading,it was so tender and rich. Thanks for share this moments with us.
I love soft pretzel, and I´ll try the recipe.
Paz . congratulations.All your guest bloggers rocks.Amazing choises
Paz, thanks so much for inviting me to guest blog on your site. And thanks for everyone’s kind comments–they’ve made my day! Besos!
Hi Paz, hope you’re getting more better…
… Rebecca’s family story truly amazed me… i love the part where the grandfather brought roses not only to her grandmother, but to all the other nurses… how sweet was that… what a family history… thanks for sharing… 
Warm salty pretzels, what a treat.
It is always so nice to get to know the writer.
Thanks for sharing your memories with us
As I subscribe to your blog feed I get your posts and I had read this one on my phone. What a great recipe. I am loving this ‘guest appearance’here. Hope your recovery is going very well. thank you so much for your continuous support. I have been keeping my english version blog only with the weekend herb blogging events. I want to bring more posts to it – the ones on my porguese language blog, where i post nearly every other day. it might take a little while but I keep trying. Next week sometime, i will start one only about cupcakes and I plan on posting in both languages. ; o)
Hi everyone: Thanks for stopping by and thanks so much, Rebecca, for this wonderful post. I do plan on making the pretzels and dancing like the Rockettes soon.
Valentina: I look forward to your cupcake post. You do a a great job on your blogs, considering your busy schedule!
Paz
Rebecca, where did you get your pretzel salt from? I’ve been calling around and no one seems to carry it. I’m thinking of substituting just an ordinary coarse salt instead but would love something more authentic.
Rebbecca,
i love your post, especially how you described your feeling and thoughts of new york and how your ancestors came over from Ireland!!! I have to agree with you about paz’s Monday in new york postings, they are truly unique and provides the reader with a real sense of ny!!!
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
sorry forgot to say, its pennypincher from England,( doh! must be having another blonde day??)
Hey there, Penny Pincher: Thanks so much for your very kind words! That was a wonderful post by Rebecca, wasn’t it.
Thanks for stopping by.
Paz
Hi Kelly: Welcome! Apart from the supermarket, I’m not sure where to find the pretzel salt, so I also await Rebecca’s response to your question.
Paz
Pretzels have been on my to-do list for a while–somehow something more urgent always comes up. This is a good reminder to move pretzels to the top priority.
Hi again, Kelly: Rebecca was unable to answer your question here because she’s busy moving but this is her response about the pretzel salt –
“I actually just used coarse salt for my pretzels. Alton Brown’s recipe calls for pretzel salt, i wonder if it’s just kosher salt? I’ve never heard of pretzel salt. The only place I would suggest is online searching or else a specialty foods store like Williams Sonoma…hope that helps”
Hey there Eve! I’d love to know how your pretzels turn out when you make them. Let us know. Thanks for stopping by.
Paz