Chinese Pretzels Food

ALMOST-FAMOUS SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Make the pretzels: Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat; place on a wire rack to let excess butter drip off. Serve the pretzels warm with the sweet mustard sauce.
• Illustration by Jason Lee

CHINESE PRETZELS

Steps:

• Heat 2 inches of oil to 385°F.
• Mix the dry ingredients together.
• Combine milk, water, and egg and mix well.
• Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix till well blended.
• Heat rosette iron in oil and dip into batter (do not submerge whole iron in batter just dip it till it barely touches the top of the iron,but does not go over the top) and place in oil.
• Gently shake the rosette iron to release it from iron.
• Heat iron briefly and repeat, till you have 3-4 pretzels in the pan.
• Cook until delicately brown, turning once.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Stir the batter occasionally as the cornstarch has a tendency to settle in the bottom and always heat the rosette iron before dipping in the batter.

PIMIENTO CHEESE STUFFED SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• For the pimiento cheese: To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the cheese, mayonnaise, pimientos, relish, onion powder, a pinch of salt, pepper and a few dashes hot sauce, if using. Blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside or cover and hold in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• For the pretzels: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface into an approximate 14-by-12-inch rectangle. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut lengthwise into 2 1/2- to 3-inch strips. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the pimiento cheese down the center of each strip. Brush the strips on both sides of the pimiento cheese with the egg wash. Bring the sides of each strip up around the spread and crimp it closed using the tines of a fork. Tie each strip into a pretzel-shaped knot and place them on a baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready to boil.
• Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Very slowly add the baking soda and stir until dissolved. Using a spider or slotted spoon, dip each pretzel in the boiling mixture for about 30 seconds each, then place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the pretzels are dipped, brush them with the beaten egg and sprinkle them with salt.
• Bake until the pretzels are a deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with spicy mustard.