Oktoberfest

October 2010 - Dinner #6 Theme = Oktoberfest

Serve with a good variety of mustards. For the Dough: 4 3/4 cups Bread Flour 1 package dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup luke warm milk For the Soda Water: 4 cups water 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon baking soda For the Topping: 2 tablespoons coarse salt

Instructions

Create a "starter" by mixing milk, yeast, sugar, and 3-4 tablespoons of flour. The consistency of the Starter should be like a watery pancake batter. Let sit for 15 minutes. Small bubbles should begin to form. This shows that the yeast is alive. To the Starter, add the remaining flour and salt. Knead until dough is smooth and soft. If dough is too dry, add a little bit more liquid. Likewise, if dough is too sticky, add a little bit more flour. Let dough rest, covered and in a warm place, until it is double in size. Knead dough one more time to remove all air bubbles that formed during the rising period. Divide dough into equal pieces. Roll each dough piece into a pencil-thick 11-inch string. Form each string into a pretzel. Let pretzels rest for 15 minutes, covered and in a warm place. While the pretzels are resting, prepare the soda water. Do this by combining the baking soda, water, and salt in a wide pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Drop each pretzel in the hot soda water. As soon as it rises to the surface, remove it from the soda water and place it on a baking sheet. Repeat this step for each pretzel. Sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes in a 425°F oven.