You asked for it: a variety of twists on pretzels

By Ellen Folkman, Times correspondent
Published October 10, 2007

Jennie Miller wanted a recipe for pretzels to make with her grandchildren. Judging from some readers' responses, making pretzels together seems to be a favorite activity with both children and adults. Barbara Fix, for example, used to make 90-minute soft pretzels with her kindergarten class.

Nancy Eggert shares a recipe for bread pretzels that can be shaped into traditional pretzels or stick pretzels. The technique in Nancy's recipe is slightly different, inasmuch as they are boiled before baking.

Keith Winsch shares a slightly different recipe for pretzels. They are just as easy to make and allow room for your imagination to work freely. Because Keith's version suggests making a variety of different shapes rather than the traditional pretzel shape, these are called pretty pretzels.

Jennie and her grandchildren should have lots of fun trying out these recipes.

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Pretty Pretzels
For: Jennie Miller of Crystal Beach
From: Keith Winsch of New Port Richey

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 egg, separated
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups flour
Coarse salt
Mustard

- Dissolve yeast in warm water.

- Mix egg yolk, sugar, margarine and milk into yeast. Add salt and enough flour to make a stiff dough.

- Knead dough on floured surface for 5 minutes. Let rise 1 hour. Roll out dough.

- Cut into 1-inch-wide strips and twist into a rope. Shape the rope into designs like fish, hearts, butterflies. Be imaginative.

- Beat 1 tablespoon of water into egg white. Brush on pretzel shapes. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with mustard.

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Bread Pretzels or Sticks
For: Jennie Miller of Crystal Beach
From: Nancy Eggert of Dunedin

1 cup 105- to 115-degree water

1 package active dry yeast

When yeast is dissolved add and beat at least 3 minutes:

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons soft butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Stir in:

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour and knead until the dough loses its stickiness

- Let mixture rise in a covered greased bowl until doubled in bulk. Punch down and divide into 12 pieces for pretzels or 36 smaller pieces for sticks.

- With your palms, roll the 12 pretzel pieces into 18-inch lengths about pencil thickness, tapering the ends slightly. Loop into a twisted oval. Place on a greased baking sheet and let rise until almost doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

- Have ready a boiling solution of:

4 cups water

5 teaspoons baking soda

- Do not use an aluminum pan for this mixture. With a slotted spoon, carefully lower the pretzels into the water about 1 minute or until they float to the top. Return them to the greased sheet.

- Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until crisp and browned, about 12 minutes for pretzels, less for sticks. They are best served at once, but will keep about 1 week in an airtight container. Cool before storing.

Makes 3 dozen 6-inch sticks or 1 dozen 6-inch pretzels.

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90-Minute Soft Pretzels
For: Jennie Miller of Crystal Beach
From: Barbara Fix of Largo

3 1/2 cups unsifted flour, approximately
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup water
1 tablespoon margarine
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tablespoon water
Coarse salt

- Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast.

- Heat 1 cup water and margarine to 120 to 130 degrees. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed.

- Add 1/2 cup flour. Beat at high speed 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.

- On floured board, knead 5 minutes. Set in greased bowl; turn to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place for 40 minutes.

- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a 20-inch rope. Shape into pretzels. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rest 5 minutes.

- Mix egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water; brush on pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until done. Cool on racks.

Yields 1 dozen.

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Recipe requests

Maria Sheppard is looking for a bread recipe she remembers her dad making years ago. He called them hard rolls, and Maria says they are very close to Publix's Chicago hard rolls.

Faith Smith would like two recipes, the first for Irish cake, which her mom used to make. It had raisins, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Her mom's recipe contained no fat, meaning no butter or oil. The raisins were soaked, and the water was used in the recipe. Faith lost this recipe in a move many years ago, and would like to have it again.

Faith's second request is for a really good lamb stew.

Holiday recipes

It's time to start thinking about recipes you may need for the holidays. If there is a new recipe you'd like to try or a favorite that can't be found, request it soon so it can be published before the celebrations begin.

Send requests to You Asked For It, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail youaskedforit@knology.net. Put "Recipe request" in the subject line. Be sure to include your name, city and phone.

[Last modified October 9, 2007, 08:47:35]