Kids in the Kitchen
Published by lizziejank July 9th, 2008 in From (Rachel) Lizzie
I don’t think I have made pretzels since my own childhood, and I never really felt like trying again. However, Daphne is a dedicated pretzel fan, and the jar of pretzels at our house was empty. Lina and Daphne were ready to run out to Winco to get more, and I told them we didn’t have the car today. They were brainstorming for a while -”I’ll just watch out the window and see if there is a car we could borrow,” or “We could call Nana and she could take us.”
Since I didn’t really want to put out the “HELP! HELP! We are out of pretzels” alarm, I suggested we make some. I had to warn them that they would not be like the pretzels they know so well, but rather big and smooshy. They were o.k. with that. Now, I want to tell you that I am not saying these are the best pretzels out there or anything like it, but they were shockingly easy and didn’t even have to rest or rise or anything - making them perfect for what we needed. A mid morning project that turned into an early lunch that made the children forget that we are out of pretzels. If you happen to have any warm bread lovers at your house, this is an easy way to satisfy.
1 1/2 c. warm water, 1 packet rapid rise yeast, 1 T. sugar, 1 t. salt. Mix together with enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead a bit, and then cut into pieces (we made four). Roll into snakes, coil into pretzel like shapes. We did an egg white wash and salt, then baked at 425 for about 20 minutes.
Yay, your pans look like mine: frequently used and not compulsively scrubbed.
Oh, they look wonderful! Just the thing I’ve been looking for to do with my 4 year old, of course my 9 year old would never turn down an opportunity to bake either. Thank you for the idea and the inspiration! The Lord is so kind to send us these little encouragements.
Yummy!
We loved buying “Aunt Annie’s Pretzels” when we lived in Texas, but couldn’t find them up here. So my daughter, whose name happens to be Anne, pressed me to make them. We found this really fun recipe at copykat.com. You can just type “pretzels” for the search, and then click on “Auntie Anne’s Pretzels”. They are a little more trouble to make, but they taste wonderful.
Hey Liz…
From here, those pretzels look mighty good. Please tell Lina and Daphne “thank you” for encouraging you to find a way to end the pretzel crisis.
Baking is not my glory so this is the perfect recipe for me. And btw, Mackenzie is loving the food processor/french bread recipe. Charles has another convert.
Bake on.
You did it! Don’t know whether you remember, but I (only half-jokingly) asked if you had a recipe so we could try making them for Lent next year. Yippeee!
Luma, wanna do lunch with the girlies?
Yes. Lots of fun!
Sounds good. Can I come too?
Mystie- I don’t know what you’re talking about! My pans are gleaming!
Megan- I don’t remember that comment at all (I must have missed it), but I am glad that I pulled through randomly - too funny!
Lucy - I know Mackenzie is getting deep in it, and I am certain you will too one of these times! I am making a batch of pizza dough for calzones tonight, it is just so useful! You just got to give it a chance!
Thanks for sharing your recipes and with your delightful touch of humor! We just whipped your big batch of “Luke’s cookies”. I have a Luke too! (whose 2!)
Nancy, you’re always welcome at my table.
xoxoxo
I am enjoying some of these pretzels as I type this. I did some experimenting this morning when there wasn’t quite enough room in one pan for all of them. So… I fried a few. They were great, and so were the baked ones. This was a fun way to introduce my toddler to baking. Thanks!
These look DELICIOUS!
Our 11-yo son William made these yesterday by himself! They were beautiful and we ate them for supper. He’s a cool kid.