Homemade Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
10 cups water
2/3 cups baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

Directions
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. (We just sprayed each pan with cooking spray and it worked great)

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.

We melted some butter and brushed some over the top and added some more kosher salt.
Enjoy with some cheese sauce, cream cheese, or dipping sauce of choice (I love mine with cream cheese, it is what I remember getting at the mall growing up on rare occasions)

Cheesy Bread

I made this with our pizza tonight and everyone loved it!  

 

Dough:

2-1/2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

1 T. yeast

1 c. warm water

1 T. oil

Topping:

1/4 c. prepared Italian salad dressing

1/2 t. sugar

1/8 t. salt

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. ground oregano

1/4 t. dried thyme

dash pepper

1-2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a bowl combine water and yeast.  When frothy add sugar, oil, and salt.  Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and elastic.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

2.  Punch the dough down; place on a greased 16″ pizza pan and pat into a 16″ circle. Combine salad dressing and seasonings, brush evenly over dough, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle with cheeses.

3.  For a fluffier cheese bread, at this point, allow the bread to rest for 15 minutes or so. If you’re in a hurry, just skip this rise. (The bread will rise while it bakes, too.)  Bake for 11 minutes or until golden brown. Slice. Serve warm.

Homemade Bagels

My CTE aid at the school did a demo for my class. She made these bagels and they were delicious! She gave me a batch of the dough to take home. http://www.kingarthurflour.com This is the website she got the recipe from. They have wonderful recipes! I have pulled a few to make....Enjoy!

Dough
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar or barley malt syrup
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water, lukewarm

Water Bath
2 quarts (64 ounces) water
2 tablespoons non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar or barley malt syrup
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Manual/Mixer Method: To make this dough by hand or in a

mixer, combine all of the dough ingredients and knead vigorously, by ha

nd for 10 to 15 minutes, or by machine on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes. Since we're using a high-protein bread flour here, it takes a bit more effort and time to develop the gluten. The dough will be quite stiff; if you're using an electric mixer it will "thwap" the sides of the bowl, and hold its shape (without spreading at all) when you stop the mixer. Place the dough in a lightly greased bo

wl, and set it aside to rise till noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients in the pan of the machine, program the machine for Dough or Manual, and press Start. Check the dough after 10 minutes; it should be quite stiff, and won't have formed a smooth ball. The dough will feel quite firm when you poke your finge

r into it. Allow the machine to complete its cycle, then complete bagels as instructed below.

Transfer the dough to a work surface, and divide it into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.
While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, malt and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole till it's about 2 inches in diameter (the entire bagel will be about 4 inches across). Place each bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
Transfer the bagels, four at a time if possible, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like, turning them over about 15 minutes into the baking time (this will help them remain tall and round). Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.Yield: 8 bagels.

Refrigerator Bread Dough

1 Tbsp. dry yeast1 c. warm water
2/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
2 eggs
1/2 c. instant potato flakes (mixed with 1 c. warm water) Prepare before starting dough
7 to 7 1/2 c. flourDissolve the yeast in warm water. Stir in the sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, mashed potatoes, and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Mix enough of the remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased gallon zip lock bag, making sure the air is out Refrigerate at least 8 hours.Use dough to make:
-Cinnamon rolls
Roll into 12x6 rectangle. Spread melted butter on top. Sprinkle 2 T. sugar, 2 T. brown sugar and 2 t. cinnamon on top. Roll, beginning from the longest side. Slice into 1" thick pieces. Let rise for 15 minutes. Cook at 375* for 20-25 minutes. Cover with icing.
-Pizza
Preheat oven to 400*. Knead dough for 5 minutes. Press into pan and bake 5 minutes. Top pizza dough and bake for 15 more minutes.
-Scones/Navajo Tacos (fry in hot oil)
-Bread Sticks
Preheat oven to 350*. Roll 1/3 of dough into a 3/4" thick rectangle. Cut 1" long strips. Dip in butter and coat with cheese. Sprinkle Italian seasoning or garlic if desired. Twist bread sticks and place on baking sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes.
-Donuts
Put dough on floured surface and gently roll out to 1/2" thickness. Cut with floured doughnut cutter. Let rise again by cover loosely with cloth. Heat oil to 350*. Fry doughnuts (or doughnut holes) and drain on wire rack. Dip in glaze while still hot.