Soft Pretzels

Who doesn't love big, warm, soft pretzels?  They're so good and pretty easy to make too - just throw the ingredients together and let the stand mixer do the kneading.  Start to finish, less than 2 hours.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• professional stand mixer https://amzn.to/32IH0k4

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/2Ls3mKx

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/2WKDDlF

• spider skimmer https://amzn.to/2WjU9tM

• pretzel salt https://amzn.to/2WgtM81

• Herlocker’s dipping mustard https://amzn.to/2WK46zx

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Soft Pretzels

makes 6 pretzels

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (105-115F).

• 1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 1/8 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 cup bread flour

• 3 cup all purpose flour

• 2 cups water

• 2 tablespoons baking soda

• 1 egg

• 1 tablespoon water

• pretzel salt

Directions

1. Make the yeast mixture by sprinkling the yeast over the water; stir to dissolve.

2. Pour yeast mixture into bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

3. Add the brown sugar, salt, and both flours; knead until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl (add more flour, a little at a time, if needed). This should take about 5 minutes.

4. Cover dough and let rest for 30 minutes.

5. While the dough is rising, prepare the baking soda solution by combining the water and baking soda in a medium saucepan; heat just until you see small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Turn heat off and set aside until needed.

6. After the dough has risen, divide into 6 equal portions.

7. On a lightly oiled or floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a long rope about 1/2 inch thick; for into pretzel shape, gluing the ends down with a dab of water.

8. Dip both sides of each pretzel into the warm baking soda solution.

9. Use a paper towel to dab off excess water; place on silicone or parchment lined sheet pan.

10. Allow pretzels to rise a 2nd time, about 30 minutes, until they double in size. If your oven is off, now is the time to preheat it 450F.

11. Make egg wash by whisking together the egg and water; brush on risen pretzels and sprinkle with pretzel salt (kosher salt or flakes sea salt can also be used).

12. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until deep golden brown.

13. Allow pretzels to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the sheet pan to a cooling rack. Recipe makes 6.

Traditional Hot Cross Buns

Here's a post I shared a couple of years ago.  Perhaps you'll make them this Easter.

I have one word for these - Delish!  The recipe comes from Rachel at The Traveling Spoon who spend an exorbitant amount of time searching for the traditional Hot Cross Buns of her childhood in England.  Rachel is a purist and says these are the real deal.  She also says traditional hot cross buns never have icing crosses, but rather crosses that are made of a sweetened flour paste that is piped on just before baking.  These buns are excellent warm from the oven or gently heated the next day.  I'm posting the recipe as written, but I'll share my notes for using a stand mixer in the recipe below.

Note - The only thing I'd change next time would be to use dried currants instead of raisins because currants are smaller and would distribute more evenly throughout the dough. 

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• professional stand mixer https://amzn.to/3II3lxv

• commercial cake pan https://amzn.to/2JRJJNR

• oven thermometer https://amzn.to/34dozUQ

• disposable pastry bags https://amzn.to/2FEd9cX

• pastry decorating tips/tubes https://amzn.to/2FKbpQw

• my favorite plastic wrap https://amzn.to/2U7fur3

• whisks https://amzn.to/2K2d2gy

• apricot jam https://amzn.to/2WBOg8B

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Hot Cross Buns

from The Traveling Spoon via Citrus and Candy

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Buns:

• 310ml warmed milk

• 60g granulated sugar

• 16g dried yeast (about 4 teaspoons)

• 600g all-purpose flour, sifted

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 large eggs

• 60g butter, room temperature

• 1 - 1 1/2 cups raisins (I prefer dried currants)

Crosses:

• about 60g all-purpose flour

• about 60 ml water

• 1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Glaze:

• 2 tablespoons fruit jam, warmed (apricot recommended).

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, warmed milk, and yeast until sugar has dissolved. Cover loosely and set aside for 10 minutes or until mixture becomes frothy - it should almost triple in size, so be patient!

2. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Rub the softened butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until evenly distributed (I prefer doing this in a heavy duty stand mixer fitted with a dough hook). The mixture will be crumbly. Stir in the egg, frothy yeast mixture and the raisins (or currants) until completely combined.

3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it comes together and becomes smooth and elastic. Add flour to your kneading surface as necessary. Lightly grease another large, clean mixing bowl (I knead in the stand mixer on speed 1 or 2 for five minutes).

4. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it several times to coat lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm, non-drafty place for about 45 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.

5. When dough has doubled, remove the plastic wrap and punch down the dough (don't be shy - you can really thwack it). Knead briefly, on your lightly floured surface, until smooth. Separate the dough into 12 even rounds.

6. Shape each round into a bun and place in a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 390°F.

7. Whisk together the 60g of all purpose flour, the sugar, and the water to create the paste for the crosses. Add flour if necessary to thicken so that the paste can be easily piped onto the buns - use a piping bag or a zip-top bag with a small hole cut in one corner. Pipe crosses onto the buns and bake for 10 minutes at 390°F. Then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes, or until buns are golden and sound hollow when tapped - don't worry, they will soften after baking.

8. Warm the jam for the glaze and dilute with water if necessary. Brush onto buns while still warm.

9. Buns are best eaten warm from the oven or freshly toasted on the day of baking, but they're also tasty cold and you can store any leftovers in an air-tight container for a day or two. Recipe makes 12.