SOFT PRETZELS

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You might think (as most folks do) that the only way to enjoy warm, chewy pretzels is to patronize a big-city street vendor or a hawker at a summer ball game, but the snack can also come from your own kitchen. It's a terrific antidote for the afternoon or evening munchies, and can also be counted on to be a best seller at any bake sale. Furthermore, the treat is relatively easy to prepare ... and is sure to increase any cook's popularity!

Pretzels have been around for ages ... in fact, one legend traces their origin to a monk in seventh century northern Italy. Careful never to waste a bit of bread dough when baking for his monastery, he is said to have saved all the little leftover strips and shaped them to resemble a praying child's arms. This story claims the snack's name came from a Latin word meaning "little reward", since the kindly monk gave these symbolic biscuits to children for saying their prayers.

There are, in fact, many stories concerning the twisty treat's origin, but I'd have to guess that there are even more variations of its basic recipe. Here's a good "beginner's" version that should yield about two dozen soft pretzels. You'll need the following ingredients:

1/2 cup of warm water
I tablespoon of dry yeast
1-1/2 cups of hot water
1/3 cup of powdered milk
I tablespoon of honey
I teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of shortening
4 to 4-1/2 cups of flour
4 cups of boiling water
4 teaspoons of baking soda
I egg
coarse (or sea) salt

First, in a small bowl, stir together 112 cup of warm water and I tablespoon of dry yeast. Set this aside (for 10 or 15 minutes) until it becomes bubbly. Meanwhile, mix 1- 1/2 cups of hot water, 1/3 cup of powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of shortening in a large bowl. Once this concoction has cooled to lukewarm, pour in the frothy yeast mixture and stir. Next, slowly add 4 to 4-1/2 cups of flour and knead the dough until it becomes satinysmooth. It should then be greased, covered with a clean cloth, and placed in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for about one hour ... after which you can punch the dough down to its original size and allow it to rise for another 30 minutes. It'll then be ready to be shaped into pretzels.

You'll likely find it easier to work with half of the dough at one time (put what you're not using under a clean cloth so it can't dry out). Roll out the dough to about 1/8" thick and then cut it into 12 strips. Shape these strips into "ropes"—each 16" to 18" long—by rolling them between your hands. The strands will double in size when baked, so they should be only half as thick as you want your finished pretzels to be.

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