31 days: Pretzel Rolls

Last night we had hamburgers. We don't eat burgers very often. They are really never as good as American burgers because of the quality of the beef. The best thing about the burgers that we had last night is that I didn't personally grind the meat! We splurged on our recent trip to Mwanza and bought a little ground beef. I've just been really frustrated with the beef recently. I don't understand the parts of the cow well enough to know if they are cutting me a proper section. And when you get a bad section, as I seem to most of the time, it's more work and less meat. It ends up costing almost as much as the pre-ground stuff.
Lately, we've been on a pretzel bun/roll kick. We've used them for roast sandwiches and shredded chicken as well. I found this recipe online somewhere. They usually turn out a bit darker than that picture, but the day we took it the power was out and I had to cook them in the gas oven which doesn't have a broil option. Here's the recipe I've been using. Please note that I use Instant Yeast, which I highly recommend. If you are using Active Dry Yeast you will need to put the yeast, the sugar, a tiny bit of the flour, and the water (heated to around 105) in a bowl together. Let it sit 10 minutes and then continue with the rest of the recipe.

Pretzel Rolls-

4 & 1/2 cups flour

2 & 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1 & 1/2 cup room temp water

4 Tbsp melted butter or margarine

3 Tbsp baking soda

1 beaten egg

coarse salt

These are great for hamburgers, sandwiches, or even just plain. They are best fresh and the surface of the bread will look a little shriveled anywhere the salt was if left overnight. They still taste good the next day, they just might not be company worthy.

1- In a large bowl whisk together 1 cup flour, 2 & 1/2 tsp yeast, 2 tsp sugar, and 2 tsp salt.

2- Add 1 & 1/2 cup room temperature water and 4 Tbsp melted butter or margarine.

3- Stir it up and add the remaining 3&1/2 cups of flour a little at a time until you can’t stir anymore. Knead in the remaining flour until the dough isn’t sticky.

4- Lightly coat the inside of a bowl with oil. Put the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat with oil. Cover with tea towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

5- Punch down dough. Form into a ball and flatten it slightly. Cut it in half and form each half into a ball and flatten slightly again. Use a sharp knife to cut each circle like a pie into 8 pieces (for rolls) or 6 pieces (for buns). Roll each piece into a small ball.

6- Place the balls on a lightly floured surface and cover with a tea towel. Let rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

7- Preheat oven to 425 and bring 2 quarts (8 cups) of water and 3 Tbsp baking soda to a boil in a large skillet. (If you are working with a smaller skillet just cut the water and baking soda both in half.)

8- Place 3 or 4 rolls in the water at a time and poach each side for about 30 seconds. Don’t overcrowd or it will be difficult to turn them.

9- When you remove them place them on a kitchen towel to drain the excess water. Once drained place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. You really do need the parchment. I can't get it here and mine always stick to the pan.

10- Brush the top of each roll with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

11- Using a sharp knife cut 2 parallel lines about 1/4 inch deep in the top of each roll.

12- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, broiling the last few minutes if necessary to get them dark like pretzels.