Get Your Chewy Mall Pretzel Fix at Home

If you think these are the worst looking pretzels you've ever seen, you're right. How do those high schoolers at the pretzel place in the mall get theirs looking so good? I think I need lessons.

Mangled appearance notwithstanding, these pretzels are great. I got the recipe from Food Network Magazine.  They're supposed to be a clone of Auntie Anne's pretzels.  I'd say they're pretty close.  And while this recipe calls for brown sugar, I've seen some that call for powdered sugar.  Might be worth a try.  

Chewy Mall Pretzels

• 1 cup milk
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.  Or hire one of those Auntie Anne's kids to come into your home and work their pretzel magic.

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat; place on a wire rack to let excess butter drip off.

Hush Puppies: The Deen Boys' Half-Baked Idea

Here in the South, barbecue (a noun, not a verb) is a very serious thing.  And the perfect barbecue accompaniment?  The hush puppy -- a dollop of cornmeal batter fried and served hot and crunchy.

I love hush puppies, but I don't love frying (the mess!  the smell!) so I'd never made them.  Then I found this recipe from the Deen brothers, sons of Paula Deen the Butter Queen.  And the Deen boys suggested baking, not frying, these Southern delecasies.

Easier, yes.  Healthier, yes.  Real hush puppies?  No.

Which is not to say that these little bites weren't tasty, because they were.  Kind of like a butterier, onionier version of corn bread.  But if you were hoping for the crunchy outer shell of a hush puppy (and I was) you were out of luck.

When you're eating, texture counts just as much as flavor, and these were hush puppies perhaps in taste but not in texture.  They're good in a pinch, and I'll make them again, but for the real thing, I'd recommend a trip to one of the fine barbecue joints that dot the North Carolina landscape.  (And if you're in Raleigh, I'd suggest you start at The Pit.)


Baked Hush Puppies (Courtesy of those wacky Deen brothers)

• 2/3 c. cornmeal
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 3/4 t. salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 1/2 c. onion, finely diced
• 1/3 c. milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 T. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.

Combine all of the dry ingredients.  Separately, combine the onion, milk, eggs and butter.  Fold the milk mixture into the flour mixture until just blended.

Spoon 1 T of batter into each cup, then bake for 10 minutes or until the hush puppies are set and golden around the edges.

The food: Baked hush puppies

The verdict: Healthy, easy, but not a real hush puppy

Buttermilk Cornbread: Not that Zingy

I'm a big fan of cornbread, but I haven't yet found the perfect recipe.  My latest batch was buttermilk cornbread.  Buttermilk is usually a nice addition to quickbreads and muffins — it has a little zing.  But I didn't taste any difference between this batch of cornbread and my non-buttermilk-recipes.

My main problem is that, no matter what I do, the cornbread turns out a little dry.  Part of this is just the style of the bread, but I've had some genuine, Southern-made cornbread here in Raleigh that is full of cornmeal goodness and not at all dry.  So I know it's possible.

The cornbread quest continues.  And in the meantime, this will be a fine start to a little cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving.

Buttermilk Cornbread

• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1 c. flour
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease an 9x9 pan.  Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, butter and eggs.  Ad buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Pour into prepared pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The food: Buttermilk cornbread

The verdict: I'd butter keep looking for the perfect cornbread recipe

A Backup to Bakewells

While Bakewell biscuits will always be number one in my heart, there may come a day when a baker like me finds herself out of Bakewell Cream.  Or whipping up a batch of biscuits in the non-Bakewell-equipped kitchen of a friend or relative.  And in such a case, said baker should have a biscuit backup recipe.

My backup recipe of choice: angel biscuits.

As the name implies, angel biscuits are light and fluffy, and they get that way with yeast.  Be warned, the yeast needs a little time to work, so plan ahead.

I made these to go along with a soup we had last week, but they also make a swell breakfast.  I recommend a little peach butter.  Or regular butter.  That's good, too.

This recipe comes from an old issue of Cooking Light, submitted by reader Linda Turner in Springfield, Mo.  Linda, I salute you.  But I'm also sending you a tin of Bakewell Cream.  Watch your mailbox. 


Angel Biscuits

• 1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1/2  cup  warm water (105° to 115°)
• 5  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1/4  cup  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  vegetable shortening
• 2  cups  low-fat buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
  

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk; stir just until moist. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush melted margarine over biscuit tops. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until golden.


The food: Angel biscuits
The verdict: Tell me, tell me the words to define the way I feel about something so fine

Coffee Cans Make Good Bread Pans

This being Labor Day weekend, I'm bidding adieu to another summer -- a little sad, since I'm so fond of the season.

When I was a kid, summer was pretty much awesome overload. My birthday is in the summer. School's out. The days are long and warm. And then there was our annual Fourth of July trip to Madawaska Lake to see my aunt Sandy and cousin Kate.

My family really loves tradition, so the routine was pretty much the same every time we came: float around the lake in inner tubes, stage a patriotic play (I penned it myself -- let me know if you'd like to purchase the performance rights), make a daily candy trip to Stan's, attempt to spot Susan Collins, whose family lived next door. We also spent a lot of time eating, because we love food and because Sandy is a great cook.

There were two foods we could always count on: Mrs. Dunster's Donuts (Canada's finest export) and oatmeal spoon bread, which is mixed in large batches and baked in coffee cans, then toasted and buttered.

I like most types of oatmeal bread that I've tried, but there is something extra good about this one. The molasses are the secret ingredient.

You can also bake this in regular old bread pans (especially since metal coffee cans are tough to come by these days -- I know, because I got tricked into buying several plastic impostors), but the cans make one awesome round loaf of bread.

I generally think of this bread as a breakfast food, but I made a BLT with it the other day and Ben dips his in corn chowder, so we can attest that its deliciousness knows no meal-specific bounds. Eat it 'round the clock, if you like. And I think you will like.


Oatmeal Spoon Bread (from my aunt Sandy, who got it from my grandmother)

• 2 c. quick-cook oatmeal
• 3 c. boiling water
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. salt
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. molasses
• 1 c. whole milk
• 2 pkgs. yeast
• 1/2 c. water, warm
  
• 10 c. flour
  

Combine first seven ingredients (through the milk). Meanwhile, proof the yeast in the 1/2 c. of warm water. Allow the oatmeal mixture to cool (enough so it doesn't kill the yeast), then add the proofed yeast.

In a stand mixer with a bread hook, mix in the flour, five cups at a time. Cover and let rise until doubled. Once it has doubled, punch down and divide into seven equal lumps. Put dough into seven well-greased coffee cans. (Metal, not plastic, but I'm sure you assumed that.) The dough will be pretty wet (and I'm guessing that's why they call it spoon bread).

Cover the cans and allow to rise until the dough reaches close to the top of the can -- 30 to 45 minutes. Bake on the lower rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Place foil over the tops of the cans if the bread crust begins to look too dark. Cool on racks, shake out of the cans and serve.


The food: Oatmeal Spoon Bread
The verdict: I'd rather eat this than donuts (no offense, Mrs. Dunster)

Bread: The Good and The Bad

The bad news: I forgot to feed my sourdough starter, but I forgot that I forgot, and my dough refused to rise to this or any occasion.

The good news: I baked it anyway and brought it to work. My colleagues were kind enough to overlook the lack of rising.

If you're a sourdough purist you may not approve of the use of commercially produced yeast in this starter, but it makes one fantastic loaf of bread.

And don't forget to feed it.


Sourdough Starter

• 3 T instant mashed potato flakes
• 3 T white sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 t. active dry yeast

Combine instant potatoes, sugar, water and yeast in a covered container. Let the starter sit on a counter for five days, stirring daily with a wooden spoon. At the start of the fifth day, feed the starter with 3 tablespoons instant potatoes, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 cup warm water. In the evening, take out 1 cup of the starter to use in your favorite sourdough recipe. Refrigerate the remaining starter.

Every five days (and this is important), feed the starter 3 tablespoons instant potatoes, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 cup water. If starter is to be used in a recipe, let it sit at room temperature all day. If starter is not being used in a recipe, keep refrigerated and discard 1 cup of starter after each feeding.


The food: Sourdough starter
The verdict: Starters need to eat, too

Sweet Cream Braid Doesn't Live Up to Name

So the other day, I decided I'd make a sweet cream braid from a recipe I've been wanting to try for years. Basic bread dough filled with sweetened cream cheese -- mmm. Except that when I cut into it, the cream cheese had totally disappeared. Poof. Like a magic trick gone bad. Well, I guess making something disappear would be a successful magic trick. But I wasn't happy -- I think you get the picture.

I was, however, extremely excited about braiding. I'll probably braid all my food from now on. Broccoli, pasta, chili, you name it. It will be braided.

A New Recipe You Mayo Want to Try

Today was our first ever North Carolina snow day. Four inches just about shut down the Triangle, so Ben and I worked from home, then celebrated the cold with some cold-weather food.

Right after Thanksgiving, I made a turkey potpie with our leftovers. But I had more filling than I could fit in my pie crust -- leftovers from my leftovers, you could say -- so froze the extra filling, thinking it would be good someday heated and served over biscuits. Today was that day.

Normally in this situation, I'd turn to my trusty Bakewell biscuit recipe, but since I mistakenly bought self-rising flour on my last trip to the grocery store, I tried a new recipe to help use it up.

Are you ready for it? Here it is. Two cups self-rising flour. Six tablespoons mayo. That's right, mayo. A little bit of milk to hold it all together. Mix. Drop. Bake. Eat.

Baked goods made with mayo weird me out, even though I know it's just eggs and oil, but I kept an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. These biscuits were fluffus maximus.

So fluffy, in fact, that they were begging to be turned into strawberry shortcake, which I did with a little berry action and whipped cream. One biscuit recipe takes us from dinner to dessert. How versatile!

So that's self-rising flour, mayo and milk. Think about it, people.

The food: Mayo biscuits (with potpie filling -- and with strawberries and whipped cream)
The verdict: Mayo -- it's not just for deviled eggs anymore

Bread Head

Because I am generally cold in the winter (and fall and spring), baking is an excellent way to satisfy my culinary urges while also heating up the apartment. Sneaky, I know.

One of my favorites lately has been a really easy, really tasty bread recipe I first heard on The Splendid Table. (Shout out to Lynne Rossetto Kasper!) Called Five-Minute Artisan Bread, it's a recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Basically, you mix up a bunch of flour and yeast and water and salt and put it in your fridge, and then bake it on a pizza stone. No proofing. No kneading. No punching down. And don't be scared of "artisan." That's just a fancy way of saying you made it yourself.

Zoe appeared on The Splendid Table about a year ago to talk about the book and share some tips; the show reaired on Dec. 27. If you're interested in trying her recipe, you can find it here. I'd recommend listening to the show as well. It's worth it to hear Lynne get all misty about a delicious loaf of bread. Lynne, you are my hero.

Oh, and one thing I learned the hard way -- unlike store-bought breads, which have preservatives to keep them fresh, homemade bread goes stale pretty quickly. I think breads with oils or eggs keep longer, but this one is good for 24 hours at most. There are ways to resuscitate it, but my solution is to only make as much bread as we'll eat in one night. Which is lots. We love bread.

The food: Five-Minute Artisan Bread
The verdict: Heat up the oven -- and not just because it's cold

It's the Yeast You Can Do

The Amish are responsible for a lot of great things. Furniture. Quilts. Dutch Blitz. And my favorite bread recipe.

As much as I love making bread, I don't do it as often as I used to. But the other day, while working from home, I decided to start a batch of Amish White Bread. (Picture it -- kneading with one hand and typing important public relations messages with the other.) It's a little sweet and very chewy -- good for sandwiches or just for eating plain.


Amish White Bread
(makes one loaf)

• 1 cup warm water
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cups flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in water, then stir in yeast. Allow to proof (about 10 minutes).

Mix salt and oil into the yeast, then mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. (Sometimes I cheat and use the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid mixer.) Place in an oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and shape into a loaf. Place into an oiled 9x5-inch loaf pan and allow to rise for 30 minutes. (I usually let it go at least 45 minutes and sometimes longer, depending on the temperature and humidity.)

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.


This baker could hardly wait the 30 minutes required to bake. As soon as it was out of the oven, I cut a nice, thick slice. Okay, two slices. And then I had another slice with supper. Okay, three.

The food: Amish white bread
The verdict: Excellent served plain, with butter, or in a horse-drawn buggy

My Mom's Pumpkin Bread

When Ben had his wisdom teeth out a few days ago, he went on a milkshake-and-mashed-potatoes diet. But when he was feeling more up to chewing, I baked two loaves of my mom's excellent pumpkin bread -- a New England favorite perfect for those recovering from oral surgery. And anyone else, too.

I highly recommend this recipe. Very dense and really good with milk. If you underbake it just a bit, you get a little bit of a gooey spot on the top of the bread in the center. That's my favorite part. The bread also freezes really well, so you can eat one loaf now and save the other one for later.

Abbie's Mom's Pumpkin Bread

• 1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin (I like One-Pie, but I have to settle for Libby's down here in the South; make sure to use pure pumpkin, not a pumpkin pie mix)
  
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (a mix of nutmeg, cloves and ginger if you want to throw it together yourself; some people add cinnamon or allspice)
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5 loaf pans.

Mix together pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and sugar. In a second bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture and stir until just blended.

Pour batter into pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

The food: Pumpkin bread
The verdict: Gourds never tasted so good!