Into the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country we go, where Utz, Martin’s, and Snyder’s of Hanover all ply the hard pretzel trade within a 50-mile radius of one another. (The western PA Snyder’s of Berlin is an offshoot of the original factory that split from the Hanover clan in 1950). Though some factories have automated their pretzel-rolling process, the Mennonite family that runs Martin’s still employs workers to shape each of their pretzels by hand.
You can roll your hard pretzel dough into whatever shape you want (see the soft pretzel recipe on page 167 for instructions on making a traditional pretzel knot), but rods are a classic shape even a novice can master.
YIELD: 24 pretzels
TOTAL TIME: 3 hours, including dough rising time
DIFFICULTY: 3
PRETZELS
1-1/2 cups (6-3/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups (6-3/8 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast (not active dry or rapid-rise)
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup warm water
cooking spray or vegetable oil
POACHING LIQUID
8 cups (2 quarts) water
1/2 cup baked soda (see page 12)
1/4 cup (1-7/8 ounces) packed light brown sugar
TOPPING
1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
2 tablespoons pretzel salt or coarse sea salt
MAKE THE PRETZELS:
Stir the flours, yeast, brown sugar, and salt together in a large bowl, then stir in the warm water until a shaggy dough forms. (The water should feel as warm as a hot bath or Jacuzzi—not lukewarm but not boiling, either.) Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should feel smooth and satiny.
Spritz a large, clean bowl with cooking spray or grease lightly with vegetable oil. Place the dough ball in the bowl and cover with a spritzed or greased piece of plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to a clean, unfloured surface and divide into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 9 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Line up the ropes on the baking sheets and cover loosely with spritzed or greased plastic wrap. Let rise for another 30 minutes.
POACH AND BAKE:
Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare the poaching liquid. Bring the 8 cups water to a simmer in a large, wide saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the baked soda and brown sugar and stir until dissolved. The water will foam slightly.
Gently drop the dough ropes into the simmering water, a few at a time, and poach for 15 seconds. Remove the ropes gently using tongs, a slotted spoon, or a metal skimmer and return them to the baking sheets. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with the pretzel salt or sea salt.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until fully hardened, dark brown, and glossy, checking every few minutes after a half hour; switch the sheets between top and bottom racks halfway through. Transfer the baked pretzels to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Store the pretzels at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
NO WONDER I’M A SNACK ADDICT
According to a Gourmet magazine article (“The Pennsylvania Snack Belt,” June 2008), a typical American eats 2 pounds of pretzels per year. A Central Pennsylvanian eats 6 pounds annually.