1 c Milk
2 tb Butter
2 tb Sugar
2 tb Salt
2 tb Caraway seed
1 1/4 c Water
1 pk Active dry yeast
6 c All-purpose flour
In a small saucepan heat the milk, butter, sugar, salt, caraway
seeds, and water. When the butter is melted and the sugar and salt
dissolved, set the pan aside to cool to warm, about 105 F. Place
the liquid mixture in a heavy duty mixer, such as a KitchenAid,
and add the yeast to the liquid. Stir to dissolve. Add 5 cups of
flour to the bowl and mix on low until the dough begins to pull
away from the side of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Using a dough
hook, knead in the remaining cup of flour until the dough is very
smooth, another 5 minutes. Place on a plastic counter and cover
with a large metal bowl. Allow to rise until double in bulk, about
1 hour, and then punch down.
For each pretzel, cut off a bit of dough about the size of a golf
ball. Roll it into a snake about 10 inches long. and form it into
a pretzel. (To form the pretzel, place snake at a 45 degree angle
from left to right in front of you. Take the bottom end of the
snake and bring it up and just over the middle of the snake about
2/3 of the way up. Then take the top end of the snake and bring it
under and around/over the other end of the snake.) Place each
pretzel on a floured kitchen towel and allow to rise for about
15 minutes.
Bring 8 qt of salted water to a boil and gradually boil the
pretzels, about 5 at a time, until they float. This should take a
minute or so. Remove them carefully with a slotted spoon and place
them on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 F until golden brown,
about 20 to 25 minutes. These can be frozen right after they come
out of the oven and reheated later in a 350 F oven for just a few
minutes.
Recipe by The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors
