Pretzel Logic

This is my morning post and I'll put one up showing dinner too.  I missed yesterday because we went to a champagne brunch and that sapped my motivation for most of the day.  In preparation for our invite, I made homemade pretzels.  I'd wanted to try them for some time.  I bought along a butter mixture with ground seeds (flax and sesame, of course), walnuts and honey.  They were yummy!  Today I had a toasted pretzel with cream cheese topped with ground seeds and walnuts.  Tonight I'm making venison/beef/pork burgers which I 'll serve on these instead of a bun.  I'll post the picture later.

I wanted a  healthy way to enjoy pretzels. They are easy to make and this saves money over buying them frozen or at the mall at a specialty pretzel stand.  Because I used a mixture of whole wheat. white whole wheat and all purpose white flour, they are fiber dense too.  They are easy to make.

A tablespoon of yeast (I skimp  because I use wheat flour and go short of the tablespoon), a tablespoon of sugar and a a tablespoon of kosher salt (which is the only kind of salt I use).  Mix with 1/4 cup warm water for ten minutes. Then add another cup and a half. I use my kitchen aid dough hook to mix in the flour (about 4 cups).  Coat with oil and let rise.

You boil them first before you bake.  Get your pot of water boiling and then add 1/2 cup baking soda..  It will woosh up -- some boiled over and I used that mess to clean my stove top!  Stretch/roll the doug into long strings to use to form the pretzel shape.  Boil the pretzels for 30 seconds and then plop them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  I formed 8 pretzels and boiled two at a time.  They baked for 18 minutes at 425 and I did it in two batches.  Before they go in the oven, give them an egg wash using just a yolk and a tablespoon of water, sprinkle with salt.  I gave the pup the shells, the white and the rest of the yolk once I was done.  She is always in the kitchen when I cook!

These are really sooooo easy to make and they are very hearty.  I could make them with just white flour but our goal is to eat whole grains.  When I added the seeds on top today, I gave them a great fiber and nutrient boost.  This is not a high fat snack and the carbs are complex... which makes them a healthy alternative to bagels or a bun.  And they taste good too!

Now for dinner:

Venison/beef/pork burger with mushroom and cheese on top.  Served on a pretzel bun, with spinach and yogurt/avocado/onion spread (ground flax and sesame seeds with EVOO cut in).  Yum!

And those are sweet potato fries on the side!