Another twist

Well, shake it up, baby, now, (shake it up, baby)

Twist and shout. (twist and shout)

---The Beatles

Today, we have twists on the mind. After my failed attempt to twist the bread sticks, I tried a twist of a different sort. Pretzels! Only, I didn't actually twisting anything. I should then say, I made bites. You heard me, those delectable salty, buttery soft pretzels like you can only get at the fair or the mall.

I found the recipe a la Pinterest (if you aren't following me yet, what you are waiting for?).

Recipe is adapted (ever so slightly from Allrecipes) by Dine and Dish. I don't think she actually included her modification, except for the butter, on her blog, as the posted recipe still said to cut into 8 and twist. I went with 14, as noted below, which were actually still much bigger then I would have liked. Next time, I might cut them in to closer to 28-ish...about half their current size. They were on average 43grams each (pictured).

• 1 1/8 cups water (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• coarse salt
• melted butter – not in the original recipe, but a must for mall food pretzel like experience

Start by adding the first four to the bread machine in the following order: water, sugar, flour, yeast. Set to dough and wait.

Then turn them out onto floured surface and divide into 8 balls. I actually thought 8 balls was too going to be

too big, so I went with 14 smaller balls. (Too much ball talk for anyone else?)

Heat up the water and baking soda to  boil. Drop pretzels into boiling water, two at a time; boil for 10-15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

Place pretzels on greased baking sheets. Bake at 425 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Spritz or lightly brush with water. Sprinkle with salt. 

So, one thing I didn't have on hand was course salt. I ever so lightly sprinkled these with regular sea salt and that was okay with me. I don't need them super salty.

They were the perfect treat for lunch. Hot, crunchy, a little salty, a little buttery, and rather tasty. They were an excellent density for pretzels. Not too light, not too heavy. The baby took a big bite and loved it. Then threw it at the dog. I hope she was trying to share and not testing their hardness. The hubsters...."I'm not a pretzel man."

What kind of person says they aren't a pretzel person? Can that even be possible? I mean, what is there to dislike? The crunch? The salt? The chewy inside? Geebus. It's a pretzel. The most kindest food on the planet. Take a bite.

He succumbed. One bite then I ate the rest. He response. "Tastes like a pretzel." I can't lie, it did. I'm giving it a seven, because there is nothing to not like about this pretzel bite. Nothing. Dipped in a delicious cheddar cheese sauce would make it more delish. Alas, cheese sauce is not in the cards.

**Update**
While I was working off my pretzel bite lunch, the hubsters had a friend over to watch soccer. When I came down, I said "B really liked the pretzels, eh? He had eight." To which he replied...."I ate some too." Umm....Mr. "I Don't Like Pretzels" ate how many?"

So, I kept on making dinner and said, "You did?" And he says....wait for it...."I decided to try them."

WHAAAAAAAAA? So when I asked you to take a bite, you did, begrudgingly, but when your friend eats them and loves them (yes, he said he LOVED them), then you will try them? What are we five?

So, I'm leaving the rating, because I can't justify an eight when he only ate them because his friend did.

Nutritional Facts
(Assuming 14 pieces)