Soft Pretzels

I came across an article from NY Times about making soft pretzels the old fashioned way and also another in Salon where they report that people are giving the pretzels a face-lift.

Just look at them. All bronze and prefectly shaped. Their look make me drool over my keyboard and filled me with envy.

I can't really recall where else on this island one would be able to see pretzels other than Auntie Anne's. And at Werner's Oven too, of course. I must confess that I am not much of a pretzel person even when there was a Auntie Anne just below my office for the past 9 years. I doubt I bought more than 5 pieces of anything from the little shop.

Pretzels are ... pretzels. They are nice but somehow taste foreign in my mouth. Much the same way I catagorise the chapati.

Then I gave it a try. Make my own, that is. Please excuse this food snob here. I still believe that if I want anything decent, I will have to make my own. Or that it has to be from a reputable establishment. Or something that is WAY beyond my megre culinary skills, which there are many that falls into this category if you are wondering.

If you are too polite to comment on it, I will. For both our sakes. My pretzels looked hideous.

Twisting pretzels is not a walk in the park. But then again it is no rocket science. It just needs a lot of practice. Which I haven't any.

These pretzels are soft and chewy. We ate it plain and with some cream cheese. They are dangerous. They encourage over-eating. So beware. Make them at your own risk.

All of these are all resting in a happy place - in our tummies. *lick fingers*

The recipe is from Baking Illustrated and can be found here.