With Oktoberfest in full swing, our thoughts go toward beer, bratwurst, sauerkraut and more beer. And what would a good frosty beer be without the salty pretzel?
Just what do you know about the pretzel? Did you know it is especially associated with prayer and almsgiving, was used to help teach religion, saved a city from destruction, was a symbol of good fortune in medieval times, and was serious sustenance during the Great Depression?
Pretzels have been around for almost 1,400 years. History has their origin at about A.D. 610 when a baker in a monastery in Southern France or northern Italy twisted leftover strips of bread dough into the shape of a person’s arms crossed in prayer, traditional posture for prayer in those days.
Monks began offering the warm, doughy treats to children who had memorized their Bible verses and prayers. They were used to help children understand the Christian Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The three empty holes in the pretzel represented the Christian Trinity. The monks called theses treats pretiolas, Latin for little rewards.
The success of the pretiola spread to monasteries throughout the French and Italian wine regions and crossed over the Alps to Austria and Germany where it became known as the bretzel or pretzel.
The pretzel became an important symbol in church life. A page from a prayer book of Catherine of Cleves depicts St. Bartholomew surrounded by pretzels, which were thought to bring good fortune, prosperity and spiritual wholeness to those who ate them.
Pretzels were a convenient way to give food to the poor and became typical alms for the hungry. Those who gave pretzels away were considered particularly blessed. They became such a sacred symbol that they were often packed into coffins.
A special recognition was given to the pretzel bakers in Austria. In 1510, the Ottoman Turks invaded Vienna by tunneling under the city walls. Pretzel bakers, working through the night, heard the strange noises in the cellars, grabbed every available weapon and killed the Turks. The city was saved and the grateful emperor awarded the pretzel bakers an honorary coat of arms. It shows a lion holding a shield with a pretzel in the middle.
The term “tying the knot” has special significance to the pretzel. It seems pretzels were introduced into the wedding ceremony. The couple wished upon and broke a pretzel like a wishbone, then ate it to signify their oneness. A 17th century woodcut copied from a stained glass window in a cathedral in Berne, Switzerland, shows the pretzel being used as the “marriage knot” between two royal families.
The Easter egg hunt may very well be a descendant of the tradition the Germans had at Easter. Pretzels were hidden around the farms for the children to find. They were then served with two hard-boiled eggs on Good Friday. The pretzel symbolized everlasting life and the two eggs nestled in each of the large holes represented Easter’s rebirth.
At the beginning of the new year, German children tied pretzels on strings around their necks for prosperity, health and good fortune.
With the immigration of Europeans came their trades and customs, including the art of pretzel baking. Although it can’t be authenticated, it is believed pretzels first arrived in America on the Mayflower in 1620.
It wasn’t until 1652 that the first reference to pretzels appears. A couple in Beverwyck, N.Y., near Albany, baked pretzels for the residents. They were taken to court for selling the pretzels to the Indians, who loved them so much that they would pay any price for them. The court case revolved around the fact that the couple used good flour for the pretzels while the remnants of the ground meal were used to make bread for the citizenry. “The heathen were eating flour while the Christians were eating bran.”
The hard pretzel came into existence by accident in the late 17th century in Pennsylvania. A baker’s helper fell asleep tending pretzels baking on the hearth. When he woke, the flames had died. He believed the pretzels hadn’t baked long enough and started the fire again. The master baker arrived and was furious that the entire batch was ruined. However, he tasted one while throwing them out and realized he was actually on to something. Not only were they tasty, but having the moisture baked out meant their freshness was preserved and they would last longer to sell.
The first commercial pretzel bakery was started in Lititz, Pa., in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. As the story goes, in 1850 a hungry drifter passing through the town, stopped at the bakery looking for food and a job. The baker, Julius Sturgis, had no work for him, but invited him into his home for a meal. The drifter gave Sturgis a formula for hard pretzels for his kindness. Eleven years later Sturgis stopped baking bread and opened the first pretzel bakery.
Out of this small bakery in Lititz grew the pretzel industry as we know it today. According to the latest statistics compiled by the national Pretzel Bakers Institute, more than 300 million pounds of pretzels and pretzel products are produced in the United States.
There are 28 kinds of pretzels offered on the market today. The greatest sales are in the hard type, including thins, Dutch, beer, cheese, rye, caraway, German, butters, big boys, rods, sticks, cocktail sticks, twists, bits, nuggets, loops, kosher, pizza, chocolate dipped and teething.
The soft pretzels come in various sizes and can be coated with anything from cinnamon to Parmesan cheese.
Soft pretzels are best eaten the day they are purchased because they become stale quickly.
Store unopened hard pretzels in a cool, dark place for up to six months. Store opened hard pretzels in a tightly sealed plastic bag for up to one week.
Pretzels without salt are called baldies.
An 1859 parade in New Orleans featured a float carrying a pretzel-baking machine.
Largest pretzel ever baked: 40 pounds and 5e feet across by Joe Nacchio of Federal Baking in Philadelphia.
Pretzels in the movies: The same baker produced one weighing 20 pounds and measuring 4 feet across for “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World.”
Mike’s soft pretzels
Scald milk – cool to lukewarm.
In large bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup very warm water to dissolve. Add sugar, cooled milk, baking powder, salt and oil. Add 3 cups flour. Cover and let rise until double in size (about 45 minutes).
Stir down batter, add remaining flour and knead for about 10 minutes on lightly floured board. Punch down dough. Cut into 20 pieces and set aside 30 to 60 minutes. (The longer they rest, the better the shape of the pretzels. If you start rolling them too soon, they continue to rise after they’re poached and become a blob. They still taste great, but they’re not really pretzel-shaped.)
Roll each piece into a thin, ropelike, 24-inch length, using your hands to roll and stretch the dough. The dough will be elastic and will retract somewhat after being stretched.
To form a pretzel, grasp each end of dough, forming a horseshoe with curved part away from you. Twist ends once around each other and press each firmly onto loop of dough beneath them. Set dough aside to rest on a lightly floured surface, covered, for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dust baking sheet with cornmeal. In a large, deep pan, simmer 1 quart of water. Poach pretzels 2-3 at a time for about 30 seconds, removing gently with a slotted spoon (Warning: If they aren’t poached long enough, they are sticky and difficult to handle). Set on a damp dish towel.
Carefully drag pretzels through a plate of cornmeal to provide a thin layer on the bottom. Place pretzels on a baking sheet. A cookie sheet does just fine, but a baking stone gives more even color.
Mix egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush each pretzel with egg white glaze.
Sprinkle with pretzel salt, if desired. If you can’t find pretzel salt, kosher salt works pretty well.
Bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes. For crustier pretzels, put under broiler 30 seconds before baking. Serve warm with mustard.
Makes 20 large pretzels.
Doubling the recipe generally works well, although it’s a lot of dough to knead by hand if you don’t have a strong mixer. I haven’t noticed any problem with doubling the yeast, but I have run a little short on occasion, and everything’s worked out fine, so a professional chef might tweak that a bit. Being a confirmed amateur, I’m fine leaving it where it is.
Note: For salted pretzels, sprinkle with coarse salt or Kosher salt. For cinnamon-sugar pretzels, stir 2 tablespoons honey into melted butter before brushing on pretzels, then sprinkle with a mixture of 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. For Parmesan pretzels, sprinkle with a mixture of 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon garlic salt; serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
Strawberry gelatin pretzel salad
Crush pretzels with a rolling pin or in a food processor. Mix in sugar and softened butter. Spread onto bottom of 9-by-13-inch baking pan; press down and spread evenly with spoon. Bake in 400-degree oven until just lightly browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Thoroughly mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and whipped topping and spread over crumb crust when it has completely cooled. Dissolve strawberry gelatin in 2 cups boiling water. When cool, add strawberries and leave to thicken slightly, then spread over cream cheese layer.
Refrigerate until firm before cutting into squares for serving.
Chocolate pretzel bars
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch-baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the crushed pretzels and butter; mix well and press into the bottom of the baking dish.
Add cocoa powder to sweetened condensed milk and combine. Pour the sweetened condensed milk mixture evenly over the pretzel mixture then sprinkle evenly with the chips, pecans, and coconut.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes then chill for 30 minutes before cutting into bars and serving.
Note: These freeze well, so why not make two batches? That way, you can enjoy one now and have one on hand for unexpected company or for another quick treat for the family.
Makes 20 to 24 bars.
Pretzel chicken
Crush pretzels in blender. Mix (in a bowl or paper bag) pretzels, flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. In another bowl, combine soy sauce and lemon juice. Dip chicken pieces in liquid mixture, then roll around (or shake in paper bag) in dry mixture. Put the coated pieces in a shallow or flat pan lined with foil. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for one hour. Turn over chicken over 30 minutes.
Makes 8 chicken pieces.
Turtle pretzel sticks
Unwrap caramels and place in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add water. Microwave on high (100 percent) power 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute, until caramels are melted and smooth. (For ease of stirring, coat spoon with cooking spray.)
Coat a sheet of foil with cooking spray. Dip half of each pretzel into hot caramel; twirl to coat. Let excess drip from pretzel, and then place on coated foil.
Place chocolate chips and shortening in a clean 2-cup glass-measuring cup. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until shortening melts, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until chocolate melts. Dip caramel-coated end of pretzel sticks in chocolate; roll tips in nuts. Refrigerate immediately. Remove from refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: 24 pretzel sticks.
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