Okay, it's hard to beat Auntie Anne's pretzels, but you can make your own. They are really easy. Try this recipe from The Amish Cook's Baking Book, by Lovina Eicher and Yours Truly.
Makes: 6 medium pretzels.
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup warm but not hot water
- 1¾ cups bread flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- coarse salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, salt and warm water. Stir in the flour until a rough ball forms.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead with lightly floured hands until smooth (about 5 to 8 minutes).
- Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll each into a rope about 10 inches long. Shape into pretzel forms. Brush the pretzels with the egg and sprinkle with the salt. Bake until barely light golden, about 10 minutes.
Christine
I have to try these. I am now not afraid of yeast. I made my very first batch of sticky buns over the weekend and they turned out pretty darn good.
Joe Goodwin
Kevin--
By "bread flour" do you mean all-purpose or cake flour?
Thanks. I love soft pretzels!
--Joe
Kevin
I know Lovina uses King Arthur Flour, that would be all-purpose...see http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&gs_nf=1&tok=wXHnsYvWzXD2IsKxyY5uZg&cp=7&gs_id=r&xhr=t&q=bread+flour&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1138&bih=525&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12163072126017821133&sa=X&ei=9VdMT8qPHIfy0gGGuvTeAg&sqi=2&ved=0CD0Q8wIwAQ
Christy
King Arthur also makes a bread flour and I think that is what Lovina uses. My husband uses it for his bread machine.
Terri L.
I am looking forward to trying this recipe. I already bake many different kinds of bread, cinnamon rolls, etc... and I only use
King Arthur flour. Whole wheat, bread, and all purpose are just
some of the varieties available. And most of them you can
purchase at Walmart!!
Julie Stacey
All Purpose flour and bread flour are two different things, and both are different from cake flour. King Arthur does make the best flour in my opinion. And like Terri said, they have many different varieties of flour.
Barbara Weber
Try the pastry and pasta flours. They make a difference.
Cheryl
my niece made the pretzels when a recipe was in one of your books. they were fantastic. she also sent snapshots of them after being baked and before hand.
Pam
What is the difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour?
Terri L.
All-purpose flour has less protein, and is a softer flour, so you
get a more tender baked good. Bread flour has more protein
and makes it a harder or stronger flour to bake with, to use
more to get a chewy, thick crust. I think bread flour is to use more with yeast-risen baked goods. Depending on my bread recipe, I will use whole wheat bread flour or white bread flour, and for my cookies I will use all purpose flour.
Lynette Sowell
sounds delicious! I last had an Amish pretzel at the Haiti Benefit Auction in Sarasota. It was so yummy and fresh, made by some sweet ladies visiting from Lancaster County. I'll have to try these...
richard haase
iwhat to know that you have a reicpe that was on mrfood it is hearty amish chicken stew