FUN WITH A TWIST
Making delicious, soft pretzels from scratch is a worthy project for young cooks
You know pretzels and have probably eaten them in many different forms, but do you know how they’re made?
They begin with a dough, like many others, with flour, water, yeast, salt, and butter.
After fermentation, to help get that tang we all love, they are shaped into the classic twist. Before they’re baked, they are dipped in a food-grade lye solution, which is responsible for the brown, shiny exterior that calls to us from a bakeshop window.
What could kids love more than a home-baked pretzel made with their own tiny hands? With this recipe for soft pretzels, you and your family can do a fun kitchen project.
This recipe from the Culinary Institute’s book The Young Chef (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) calls for a baking soda solution to replace the not-so-kid-friendly lye. The results won’t be as shiny and dark as the professional kind, but it’s still pretzel-y.
These pretzels are shaped into classic twists, which is so fun but can be hard for those of us lacking in fine motor skills and/ or patience. Luckily, a pretzel is a pretzel no matter the shape, so if you prefer, you can roll the dough into logs and then cut little bitesize pretzel nuggets. You can also make small, round rolls or bagel shapes — anything little minds can imagine!
And don’t forget the dippers. Spicy, whole grain mustard is classic, but kids might also love nut butter, melted chocolate (sweet and salty) or cheese sauce.
The best part of this recipe is that it can be made ahead of time and frozen.