Baked With Love
These are All the things that a Pretzel Symbolizes (Who Knew!)
Perfect, if you ask me, for an out of the ordinary Valentines Day Treat!
With 2021 not off to the greatest start, I figured baking something that symbolizes all the good things couldn't hurt our odds but would only serve to possibly improve them. A little positivity goes a LONG way; and with that mindset, there were certainly some Very Promising things that came about at the beginning of this year that could be attributed to a bit of faith in all that is good. To reiterate, we could all use some luck, prosperity and spiritual fulfillment in the form of a pretzel.
That being said, I came across the Simplest pretzel/bun/braid/bagel recipe known to man. This dough can be anything you want it to be. If you can shape it, then bake it - you will have it! In hindsight, I wish I would've shaped the dough into hearts to be more festive for Valentine's Day, but a pretzel is close! Now, as a baker, I must admit I was Veeeeeery skeptical about how this one would turn out as there are literally 2 ingredients in the mix (4 if you aren't using self-rising flour); minus the toppings or add-ins. It's crazy simple and crazy delicious!
- 2 cups of self rising flour [If you're using regular flour, you'll need to sift in 1 tsp of salt + 1.5 tsp of baking powder]
- 1 cup of greek yogurt -or- 1/2 cup of regular yogurt (it's thinner which translates to more liquid)
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Mix the flour [sift together reg flour w/salt and baking powder if using it] and yogurt
-
Flour your counter and knead the dough just to the point of not being too sticky
(I did it this way originally and HATED how grossly sticky it was on my hands and how long it took to combine, I continually needed to add more flour a bit at a time to get it to the proper consistency. The second time I made this recipe I used my KitchenAid with the hook attachment and kneaded it a bit on the counter after the dough came together, using small amounts of flour until it was just to the point of not being sticky anymore and I found this method to be ideal. Not everyone has a KitchenAid but just for reference, both ways baked up the same which made me Very happy.) - Separate your dough into 4 equal parts [double this recipe if you would like more - and trust me, you will!]
- Roll each quadrant into long strips [about 10"] along a floured counter and form into a pretzel shape, placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet
(roll quadrants for buns, cut into only 3 strips on the single recipe for a braid and to make bagels you use the same method for the pretzels only roll them into 5" - 6" logs pressing the ends together to form an O shape.) - Optional: egg wash and add toppings
(I used everything bagel seasoning w/garlic salt on half and a mixture of brown sugar + cinnamon on the other half, drizzled warm honey on top after serving. The second time I made this recipe into buns with a side of honey cinnamon butter; for the sweet version, I also added some of the sugar crumble in with the dough, leaving it chunky - Game Changer!!!) - Bake for 15 - 19 minutes and Enjoy!
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