Pretzelicious

I do not have a lot of experience making breads from scratch, but with an Oktoberfest party on the calendar, I thought what better dish to bring than pretzel bread?!  It seems to be all the rage right now- restaurants are advertising nearly every type of sandwich imaginable on pretzel bread- but honestly it has always been a special favorite of mine. The only problem: I don't know how to make it.  Small problem.  That is what the internet is for, right?  I asked the internet...and it led me to a tasty recipe called Mike's Signature Pretzel Bread (http://twobites.wordpress.com/2007/07/13/signature-pretzel-bread/).  I read several other recipes as well, comparing notes and ingredients, but settled on Mike's.  The ingredient list was not intimidating and the process seemed straightforward enough.  

It didn't occur to me until I was well into the process that I should snap some photos along the way.  After allowing the yeast to activate and mixing in the flour, the dough gets to rest for 30 minutes.  The next stage is kneading the dough (I did it by hand) until it becomes elastic and satiny, and then it gets to rest for one hour.  I was excited to see how large my little ball of dough grew as it rested!

The dough grew so large it raised the towel in the center!

The risen dough unveiled.

I giggled when I read the next step in the instructions: gently degas the dough.  Hehe! After my chuckle I wondered if there was some special technique to degassing the dough, but it sort of naturally happened when I slid the dough out of the bowl.  When shaping the dough, I opted for a  traditional bread round, but you can make any shape your heart desires.  The next step is where the real fun begins.  It's like trying that baking soda volcano science experiment all over again!  The bread rounds take a quick dip in a baking soda bath.

One bread round bathing in the baking soda water.

(If you like playing with gas, this really is the recipe for you.)  After their bath, the dough gets a nice sprinkling of kosher salt before heading into the oven to bake.

Oven-ready dough marked with an X on top and dusted with kosher salt.

Although I enjoyed watching the yeast come alive, kneading the dough until it was shiny and elastic, watching it rise, and playing with gases, I believe my favorite part is the amazing aroma that started drifting through the house as the pretzel bread baked in the oven.  Yum!  I was also pleasantly surprised with how good the bread tasted.  It had the perfect texture- like a big soft pretzel inside and deliciously salty crust outside.  I'm grateful it turned out well and that my friends at the Oktoberfest party were enthusiastic about eating it.  It was a delightful accompaniment to the grilled brats and stew.  It's definitely something to make again, and maybe next time experiment with different shapes.  Maybe perfectly sized "hot dog" rolls for my brats.  Mmmm....

Finished pretzel bread.