Quick Pretzels

Yield: 16 pretzels

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast 4 1/2 c. flour

1 Tbls. brown sugar 1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. warm water Kosher or coarse salt
1 3/4 c. warm milk (optional) Notes from Father Dom…
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Bread Break
• Combine yeast, brown sugar and water in a small mixing
Pretzels get their name by a
bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy.
circuitous route. They were
• In large bowl, stir together warm milk and salt. Stir in 4 originally meant to be a
cups of flour, one cup at a time. Mix in yeast mixture from Lenten bread, made with only
small bowl. water, flour, yeast and salt.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 5 The classic shape is meant to
minutes, adding as much of the remaining 1/2 to 1 cup of suggest arms crossed in
prayer, which gave rise to
flour as needed to form a smooth, elastic
their Latin name, bracaella,
dough that is slightly sticky. Cover with a “little arms.” This word be-
towel and let rest 5 minutes. came bretzel in Old German,
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. which eventually shifted to
• Cut dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece pretzel.
into a 12 to 14 inch rope. Twist each rope
I have made these basic pret-
into a pretzel shape and place on a lightly zels with people of all ages,
greased baking sheet. and everyone loves them. The
• Brush tops of pretzels with beaten egg and freshmen in our high school
sprinkle with salt. especially enjoy making pret-
• Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes zels and eating them fresh out
of the oven. I made these with
or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and let my nephew Jordan’s second
cool briefly on wire racks. Serve warm. grade class and they turned
out beautifully, so don’t hesi-
≈≈≈≈ tate to try making pretzels
with children of any age.
Note: You can make these pretzels with water, but I like the flavor and
texture of milk-based pretzels better. Serve the pretzels warm with pizza
sauce or cheese sauce for dipping. If you divide the dough into few por-
tions, you can make larger pretzels. Just be sure that all the pretzels on
one baking sheet are the same size, so they will bake in the same amount
of time.