Game Day Food

Apparently there's some sort of big game this weekend?  Or maybe a commercial showcase extravaganza?  I'm not real clear on the nature of the event, but I understand an awful lot of people are going to spend Sunday sitting on the couch, stuffing their faces, and screaming excitedly at the magical picture box.

Sounds like a good day for pretzels! (source: bread book)

2 t dry yeast (or one packet, whatever)
1 1/4 C warm water
3 3/4 C flour
1 1/2 t salt
egg glaze (beat an egg and 1/2 t salt in a tea cup, coffee mug, or small measuring glass.  Not right now--make it when you need it, just before baking)
sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or coarse sea salt, for topping

• Sprinkle yeast into 1/2 C water in a small bowl.  Let stand 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve.  While you're waiting, mix flour and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast.
• Use a wooden spoon to draw in enough of the flour to form a soft paste.  Cover bowl with a dish towel and let "sponge" about 20 minutes.  The wet paste will become frothy and risen.
• Mix in the rest of the flour.  Stir in remaining water, as needed, to form soft, sticky dough.
• Knead 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic, then put the dough in a clean bowl and let rise until doubled in size (1 1/2 to 2 hours).  Punch down dough, then allow it to rest for 10 minutes.  (I usually need to sit down for about ten minutes after getting punched, too, depending on where I get it)
• Divide dough into eight equal pieces.  Roll out each piece with your hands--remember making snakes with Play-Doh?  Same deal--until the dough snake is about 16 inches long.  Form the snake into pretzel shapes.  The easiest way is to copy the technique you see at the mall food court, though maybe at a slower speed.  Bring the ends close, give them a full twist around each other, then fold the twist back towards the loop you've made and press the ends into the dough of the loop, making the shape below.

• Place the pretzels on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet (I always use parchment paper on baking sheets when making bread.  I may not always need it, but it sure is handy), cover with a clean dishtowel, and allow to proof (proofing is a secondary rise, after the dough is formed) until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425F and make your egg glaze.
• Brush the pretzels with egg glaze and sprinkle with whatever toppings you like.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and delicious-looking.  Cool on a wire rack.

Get the mustard.  GET IT NOW!!

The first time I made pretzels was nearly a decade ago, when I was still getting the hang of bread dough, and I got very frustrated, and a little annoyed.  Since then, I've gotten better with bread dough, and now I love making pretzels.  This batch was made when I decided to make bagels, then changed my mind just before I started.  Admittedly, they close up quite a bit while baking, and the end result is more like a pretzel-shaped sandwich bun than an actual pretzel, but I don't see how that's a problem.  Pretzel buns are very trendy these days, and it gives you some options for how to eat them.