In addition to eating too much celebratory food last weekend, I also learned how to make pretzels. They were awesome, and I've never even really liked pretzels. They are also a lot of work though. Basically, I had to make the dough, let it rise, cut it into 8 pieces and make those into 24 inch ropes. I created the pretzel shape by making a U, crossing the ends and bringing them back down. Then I boiled them in baking soda and water, brushed them with egg yolks and baked. I did not realize, however, that the maintenance man had installed a new smoke detector in the hallway next to the kitchen. I was quickly introduced to it while the egg yolk burned on the parchment paper, the detector is working well.
So the pretzel making is quite an ordeal, but it's definitely something I would make again and freeze for later. I used Alton Brown's recipe, which always makes me happy--the man is a genius.
Some interesting facts about Pretzels
Pretzels originated in medieval Europe. It is believed that the shape is supposed to look like praying hands or arms crossed over the chest. In Germany, pretzels were traditionally eaten on Good Friday by Catholics. They were a convenient food because the Catholics were forbidden from eating eggs, lard, dairy products, and meat during Lent. Children would look for hidden pretzels on Easter morning, like an egg hunt today.
Pennsylvania is the pretzel capital of America because of the large population with German heritage, the so-called "Pennsylvania Dutch" of Southeastern PA began the American pretzel tradition.
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