This is my first video of Samantha's and I adore her! Not only did she make my favorite treat, but I loved her entire vibe. I've been putting off making my own pretzels for ages, but she's got me excited to finally give it a go. Thank you! Will absolutely be looking for more of Samantha's work!!
Don't be cheap and make the mistake of taking the pretzels out of the baking soda water and putting them onto parchment paper. The pretzels will fuse onto the paper at a molecular level. Use the silpat like she did. I was a pastry chef for 30 plus years and have made that mistake and seen others do it as well. No amount of scraping will ever remove the parchment from the pretzels.
Oh so that's why she said that without the silpat one would need to grease the baking sheet, I was thinking to myself "why not use parchment paper", I wouldn't have known, thanks for the comment
@MsDangerosa this could be due to a different brand of parchment. Some are thicker and coated, and some are thinner and not. You have probably been using the better quality type. 🙂
So happy to see Sam! When she excitedly opened the bag after shaking on the cinnamon sugar, she looked like Artie! I'll be trying these with my nephew, he loves making pretzels.
As a pedantic german it is my duty to point out that this shape is not correct. The Brezel should have a thick part in the middle of the bottom, the upper part should be thinner and the two ends should not be twisted twice, only once, and then pressed onto either side, as far apart as possible. This is the correct, standardized way of shaping a brezel, as it is practiced all over Bayern, Baden und Schwaben.
The monk story is true, out at least one of the origin stories of the pretzel! A few regions claim its invention, and each has their own story. I was always told this old tale: A court baker had stolen goods from his local count, Eberhard von Urach, and had been put on trial. The punishment was: he had to invent a baked good through which the sun could shine three times, or else he would be killed for his crime. The baker was famously good at his craft, so Eberhard wanted to give him a chance. He was given three days. He couldn't figure it out for a long time, but on the last day he saw his wife's anxiously crossed arms and came up with the shape. But their cat jumped from the table and tipped the baking sheet with the raw pretzels into a bucket of (washing) lye. There was no time to redo the dough, so he just baked them as they were, and in his desperation just threw some salt on top to make it look a little better. He delivered his pretzels right on time, and when the count held one up, the sun shone through it three times. The count loved the salty pretzels. And the baker was pardoned! That's how I learned it as a kid :)
That's the story I've heard too! If I have one issue with this video, it's that the pretzels (aka Brezeln) aren't quite the right shape; the way they're shown here, there are only two places for the sun to shine through 😉 In Germany the arms touch the body a little farther apart, opening up the third hole in the middle 👍
With these cooking shows, they use so many dishes. The bread flour could have been measured directly into the stand mixer bowl. The baking soda could have been poured onto the sheet tray. Come on! I wash my own dishes; keep my clean up easier.
The baking soda unfortunately imparts a bitter taste to the bagels crust. I've tried with smaller baking soda ratios and you can still taste the baking soda, which it's not what you're aiming for in a pretzel
burnt would be black, it's dark brown. light or dark brown are a taste preference, if you prefer light brown just take it out of the oven 2 minutes earlier. I personally like them dark brown more
I’ve only made Pretzels once and decided it’s too much hassle - easier to buy them. But your recipe does not seem as hard as the one I made. I’d probably make them lighter.
as a POB (Person of Bavaria) i have to tell you, that its pronounced "Breze" or "Brezn" not Pretzel. The Brezn do look god though, in Bavaria we would say:" so ein Hundsdregg konnst ner selba fressn," I do like that NYT Cooking tries to spread the culture of my people to the world but do it with respect and do your research.
as a fellow POB or say half Bavarian, half Swabian (with the Swabian side of the family owning a bakery in the x-th generation) the Brezn or Brezel (as they are known in Swabia) runs in my blood! I absolutely support this comment, these ain't authentic :D
This bit of your culture spread to the US long ago and underwent a spelling change in the process. They were brought over in the late 18th century by the southern German/Swiss/Austrian immigrants who became the Pennsylvania Dutch (notice what happened to Deutsch right there). But they didn't stick to Pennsylvania Dutch country. By early 20th century, warm, soft pretzels were sold on the street in large cities, notably nearby Philadelphia, NYC, and Chicago. Hard pretzels originated in Pennsylvania, with the first factory in 1850. The shelf-stable format became a huge global snack category, with all kinds of shapes and additions. In the US alone, the pretzel market is worth billions of dollars.
What got me ugh-ing is that you kept touching so maaaany surfaces, including your face/hair... I had to stop 2 mins in and write this, post it and out the door... Happy Easter... with your whatever you're doing kitchenwise & otherwise. (pls don't film for airing touchy stuff-thanks)
