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| Homemade Soft Baked Pretzels |
I'm debating sending out Christmas cards this year. When I was younger I hand printed over 50 cards every year and loved doing it. However, as the years have gone by I receive fewer and fewer cards in return and some of the joy of the whole process has depleted. I think when my mother was alive and before I had kids I enjoyed spending the time personalizing every card and receiving personalized cards in return. However, with the rise of social media and email more and more people are interacting online and less are sending out cards. In some ways it's a little sad, books have become ebooks and cards have become Facebook posts. It takes a lot of the personalization out of keeping in contact, but I may follow suit this year and not send out cards. Then again, maybe I will hold out one more year.
My two boys are currently eating me out of house and home. I don't even want to imagine how much they will eat as teenagers, I might as well starting raising my own cows and pigs, it would be cheaper. A couple of weeks back I tried a new recipe for Soft Baked Pretzels from the October 2013 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
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| Huntington Museum of Art |
This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 2 hours and 5 minutes of total time, 55 minutes of which is active. I only made minimal changes to the original recipe. For the milk I used 2 percent, it's what I normally have on hand for my coffee. The major modification I made was to simmer the water and baking soda and then add the pretzels for 15 seconds on each side. This allows for a better flavor after baking, it's what gives the pretzels that great salty taste. The recipe uses an electric mixer, but I almost always prepare my bread and baked goods from scratch. I find that I prefer the texture when hand kneaded.
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| Fall Leaves |
My husband and two boys loved this recipe. The pretzels come out perfectly and by boiling the pretzels in the baking soda before baking they come out perfectly on the outside. I turned my pans halfway through the baking time in order to ensure even baking and browning. This is a recipe I plan to continue using in the future, it's great!
For the recipe go to Soft Baked Pretzels.
Soft Baked Pretzels
Recipe Type: Snacks
Summary:
A delicious homemade soft baked pretzels recipe. Perfect with mustard or made sweet with cinnamon/sugar.
Preparation Time: 0h, 55m
Total Time: 2h, 5m
Yield: Serves 8
I'm the same way about cards. Usually I send them to family and then if someone sends me a card, I return the gesture.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I do too :) Plus stamps have gotten so expensive! It costs a lot more than it used to to send out cards.
Deletelook beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks :) They turned out really well!
DeleteThey have turned out beautiful and delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks :) They are actually really easy to make too!
DeleteI can imagine its smell filling up the kitchen. Looks really yummy. Perfect with coffee.:)
ReplyDeleteThey really did smell great in the oven! I agree that they would be great with coffee!
DeletePretzels have been in my mind for a while...yours turned out perfect! ela :)
ReplyDeleteMy family loves pretzels, they are one of their favorite snacks!
DeleteOooh! I've always wanted to make pretzels but have always been too lazy to try. I need to try them out this holiday season. Also, I send cards every year, even is I don't get any back. It's not the same without sending out my cards.
ReplyDeleteThey are a lot easier to make than most people think. The rolling is the hardest part and it isn't that bad I promise :) I think it's great that you send out cards, so many people have stopped sending them (including me maybe this year)!
DeleteI was just thinking about this same thing last night, it's so sad how everything has become so impersonal. I mean, it's so bad now that people put HBD instead of typing Happy Birthday... what's the point. I too love the process of preparing and printing personal cards, but it sucks when all you get in return is a text or Facebook post. At any rate... the pretzels look amazing! My daughter would LOVE this recipe!!!
ReplyDeleteI love preparing the cards too. It just seems that as my kids get older I have less and less time to myself :) Maybe once my youngest starts school it will be a little better. I agree about being texting a reply to a card. I still send out thank you cards for gifts, but everyone else I know just posts on Facebook etc It's a little sad that things have become so impersonal!
DeleteIt's been a while since I stopped by. Been just so busy with work haven't had a chance to do anything beside schedule posts. :) I'm just like you, I'm thinking of stopping that tradition of sending out cards. Most people are so into computers that they just send ecards. I love getting cards in the mail though. It makes me feel special. As for the boys, I'm thinking it's a boy thing because mine want to eat me out of house and home too. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never made pretzels before and have always wanted to try them. I might do this one. Seems simple enough although it takes over 2hrs. :)
I love getting cards in the mail too :) It does seem though that a lot of people have switched over to computer ecards, which takes a little bit of the personalization of of it. Glad that my boys aren't the only ones that eat everything in sight! I don't want to even think about when they are both teenagers!!
DeleteMost of the 2 hours is rise time, so the actual hands on time for the pretzels is pretty small I promise :)
For the record, I LOVE your Christmas cards. I also really enjoy the pics of your boys. We have the same debate every year. My husband would like to do the Earth friendly thing and email our letters this year (which we did last year), but I really think there is something about getting a card in the mail that will light up your whole day. It's also a nice way to double check your card list and make sure you know where everyone is. You can expect a card from me this year my friend!
ReplyDeleteI have the bad ability of losing my list every year :) Last year when I got pneumonia I somehow lost the list off my computer (I think I deleted it when I was too sick to think straight). The year before that my oldest spilled coffee all over my computer and bam no more christmas card list. Luckily now I have a Mac so I save everything onto our external hard drive.
DeleteThanks for the sweet long comment :) A bunch of other friends and family emailed me saying that they love seeing the boys and getting a Christmas card too. It's hard when I live so far away from everyone now since I really only get to catch up with holiday cards, emails, Facebook etc. It was so much easier when we all lived in Seattle :) Now everyone I know is spread out all over the US and a few abroad.
The boys want to do dress up as Star Wars characters for their Christmas photo. They even showed me the costumes they want to wear.....
I love soft pretzels and usually treat myself to one when I'm mall shopping... I'm excited about sending Christmas cards this year because we have a 3 mo. old granddaughter and some people will be surprised! But I know what you mean and I really don't like cards that are pre-printed with people's name... sometimes I write a poem when I'm feeling creative :)
ReplyDeleteI have bought the pretzels at the mall many times :) I love that you are sending out cards to celebrate your granddaughter! Those are always the best cards, when someone has had a baby, grand baby etc. The photos are always so cute!!! I try to write a little not also. Especially since everyone lives so far away from me now!
DeleteThis is the first year I have decided not to send out cards.. First, because I slacked on getting our photos taken, and second because I feel like no one really appreciates them aside from close friends and family. It costs so much to send them now. I have decided to send out "just because" cards throughout the year with pictures of us.
ReplyDeleteSoft baked pretzels are such a weakness for me! These look delicious!
Katie @ Being Dawson's Mom
I understand about slacking on getting a photo taken :) Luckily I have a nice camera and photoshop, I just need to actually take the photo. I agree that it costs a lot for the stamps now. It used to be so much cheaper! I love the idea of just because cards, getting a card in the mail in the summer when you wouldn't expect one, would be such a welcome surprise :)
DeleteWe don't have pretzels ... the only time I've had one was during my visit to the States 15 years ago! I have been meaning to send out Christmas cards, and still haven't done it! I only send them to interstate friends/family that we don't see very often, or at all during the year, but whom I like to keep in touch with. Have a Merry Christmas. Cheers, Alison
ReplyDeleteI have heard that from other people outside of the US too :) I think the US pretzel is popular here partly because of baseball games. My dad used to buy me one every time we went to a game growing up. It was part of our ritual and I loved it! I agree that cards are a nice way to keep in touch with people that you don't see during the year. Since I live so far away from my friends and family cards are a nice way to keep in touch. I hope you have a Merry Christmas as well :)
DeleteYou have make the recipe proud. Thanks for sharing with four seasons blog hop. Have a nice day. Pin
ReplyDeleteSoft baked pretzels are music to my ears!! We used to send out tons of cards too, and I loved getting them back. Now I send a few..and always feel a tad guilty that I didn't go all out, but you're right, the joy's depleted a bit...and I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's so easy to communicate with our friends and family online? I dunno. I do like the little bit we do still though, it's tradition. :)
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of us have cut back. I agree that I think a large part of it has to do with keeping in contact online more. The more we talk to each other online the less we do it through mail etc. It is a tradition though :)
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