Soft Pretzel Stuffing Food

SOFT-PRETZEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add celery, onion, and carrots and cook until softened and tender, 10 to 12 minutes, then stir in thyme and season with salt and pepper.
• Add pretzels to a large bowl with vegetable mixture and pour in broth and eggs. Toss until combined and season with salt and pepper.
• Butter a 9"-x-13" baking dish, then spoon in stuffing mixture and bake until cooked through and golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

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

PRETZEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Bake pretzels according to package instructions WITHOUT SALT. Cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 250°F. Slice pretzels in half like bagels, then tear into bite-sized chunks along with the pretzel rolls.Arrange in an even layer on a large sheet pan and bake for ~1 hour, tossing every 15 minutes until pretzels are completely dry, like croutons. Remove from the oven and place in a large mixing bowl.
• Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
• Heat pan over medium heat, then add butter. When butter melts, add the sausage and cook until browned, using a wooden spoon to break it into crumbles.
• When the sausage is mostly cooked through, add the carrots, onions, and celery. Sauté until onions are translucent and golden, but not brown or crispy.
• Add sausage mixture to the pretzel pieces along with parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, MSG, salt, and pepper. Mix and stir until evenly combined.
• Add ¾ cup chicken stock and 1 TBSP whole grain mustard to the pretzel mixture. Stir well until all the liquid has absorbed.
• In a small bowl beat together ¾ cup stock and 1 large egg. Add to pretzel mixture and stir again to combine and evenly distribute all the ingredients.
• Let mixture sit for 15-20 minutes. Check the pretzel pieces - if they're still quite firm or have dry spots, add another ¼ cup chicken stock and mix again.Repeat as needed until all the pretzel pieces are hydrated.
• Grease or butter a casserole dish. Add the pretzel mixture in an even layer and sprinkle pretzel salt over the top.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375°F. Remove the foil, rotate the dish, and reduce oven temp to 350°F. Bake for another 20 minutes until deeply golden brown and crisp on top.If it seems dry, pour 1/4 cup chicken stock over top and bake for another 5-8 minutes.
• Let rest for 10 mins before serving.

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
• Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
• In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
• Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

GIANT SPINACH DIP-STUFFED PRETZEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the spinach and artichoke hearts in a large clean kitchen towel and wring out any excess moisture. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic powder, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Use a handheld mixer to beat until combined, about 2 minutes.
• Unroll the sheets of pizza dough and stack them. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a 36-inch-by-5-inch plank. Spread the spinach dip in an even line down the center of the dough. Tear each piece of string cheese lengthwise into 4 strips ; line up the strips along the top and bottom of the line of spinach dip, creating a border of cheese around the dip. Fold the dough in half lengthwise. Pinch the edges together in the center to seal in the filling. Use your hands to roll and stretch the dough into a 5-foot rope.
• Form the rope into a giant pretzel shape and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the dough is almost completely cooked through and golden brown all over, about 30 minutes.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 1/2 cup hot water. Brush the pretzel all over with the soda water and continue baking until dark golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes more. Brush with the butter and sprinkle with salt. Let cool 5 minutes, then serve warm.

PRETZEL BEER CHEESE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch square casserole dish.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the sausages, turning occasionally, for 8-12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, slice into 1/2- inch rounds and place in a large mixing bowl.
• Return the pan to medium heat and add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with black pepper and then add the beer. Cook for about 2 minutes then remove from heat and transfer to the mixing bowl with the bratwurst.
• Add the diced pretzels, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, thyme, stock, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and eggs to the bowl with the bratwurst and sauteed vegetables. Stir to combine.
• Transfer to casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes and garnish with chopped parsley.

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Put the flour, yeast, sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl and mix together to combine. In a large jug, mix together 300ml lukewarm water and the butter. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the water, mixing together to form a rough dough.
• Tip out onto a floured work surface and knead for 10-15 mins or until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and set aside until doubled in size, about 1hr.
• Once risen, knock out the air bubbles in the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a long rope about 60cm long.
• To form into pretzels, lay the rope in a U-shape with the curve pointing towards you. Take the two ends and cross them over.
• Take the ends, lift them backwards and press them into the curve of the U-shape. Repeat with the remaining dough. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Carefully place the pretzels on a baking tray lined with parchment and lightly greased with oil. Cover lightly with oiled cling film. Set aside for about 20 mins until puffy (not fully risen like bread dough).
• Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water, bring to the boil, add the baked bicarbonate of soda, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. One at a time, carefully lift the pretzels into the pan and cook for 20 secs per side. The pretzels will rise to the surface; flip with a slotted spoon.
• Use the spoon to gently lift the pretzels from the pan and return them to the baking tray. Once they have all been cooked in the water, lightly brush with the egg and sprinkle with flaked sea salt.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins or until a rich, dark brown. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Best served on the day made but can be frozen for up to 1 month.