Pretzel Bites: the perfect Super Bowl snack

(graffitioto courtesy of Jenn Johnson)


Of course most people are aware that the Super Bowl was Sunday...I don't really want to talk about it... I am an avid football fan, especially of Peyton Manning. Fortunately for me, I am also an avid food fan, which is the second most important component of Super Bowl Sunday. I was supposed to go over to a friend's house and so fairly early in the day, sporting my University of Tennessee jersey, I got to mixing up a tasty treat for all to enjoy. It's actually becoming sort of a tradition for me to make soft pretzels for the Super Bowl, stuffed with various objects of deliciosity. This year they came in bite-sized form and were stuffed with pesto and brie because well, everything is better bite-sized and is there anything better than pesto and brie?? I've said this before- pesto would be included in my last meal if I could choose.

Start off by fermenting 2 teaspoons of yeast with 1/4 cup warm (about 105 degrees F) water and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Let it rest for about 10 minutes until it gets frothy and cappuccino-like,as in the following picture.




At this point, combine the yeast mixture with 1 cup warm milk (about 105 degrees F) and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Then add 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time. At this point the mixture should have a good dough consistency. If it is too dry or too wet, add ingredients accordingly. It's time to knead!!



This is the best part, so don't skimp. Add all your love, soul, frustration, anger, happiness, boredom. Try to remember to add at least one good thing though, lest it turn out sour. push out the dough, flip, gather and repeat for about 10 minutes. Then you are ready to turn it into a bowl that is greased with olive oil and to cover it with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

At this point, punch down the dough and cut it into 4 pieces. I just quartered it off right in the bowl and then took out the first section. Lay this out on a lightly floured work surface and role it out into a 12x6 rectangle (this size can vary based on how thick you want your pretzels). Cover the rectangle with your toppings. I chose pesto and brie because those are mouth wateringly delicious, but you can go whatever route you like. I made sure to have a very thin coat of pesto across the whole rectangle and a thick line of brie through the center.




At this point, it's time to role up the dough. I did mine roly-poly style and then pinched the ends to close it up. Then, cut the snake of ambrosical contents into 1-inch pieces. It makes it easier if you run your knife under cold water before cutting.




Place the pieces on a flat surface and let them rise, covered with a towel, for about 30 minutes. Toward the end of this period, start boiling about 6 cups of water. Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and reduce heat to a simmer. Carefully add the little pups into the water, turn, and remove after 30 seconds. It's slightly tricky getting the timing right for this, so only go as fast as makes you comfortable.



Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place the dunked pieces of sunshine on a GREASED cookie sheet or stone. Here I actually did half on a baking sheet and half on a stone to test the differences.



I applied a thin layer of egg wash that I had leftover from lunch on each little morsel before they entered the inferno. This isn't a step that is exactly necessary, but it will certainly add a little shine that adds the the eye appeal. (cream can also be used) Enter the inferno. I like to rotate my masterpieces halfway through baking, just to make sure there aren't any adverse effects caused by hot/cold spots in the oven.

Take out the little pretzel bites after about 15 minutes when they are golden-brown and smell like heaven. I mixed up 2 T melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt and brushed it over the top after they came out to add a bit of undertone and buttery/salty goodness.



My experiment with the baking sheet and baking stone had some interesting results. The baking sheet made the bites cook and brown faster with a crisper exterior, while the stone made them take a bit longer to bake, but with a soft, luscious interior and delicately crisp exterior. Score one for the stone team.

The result was a sweet and salt soft pretzel bite that was easy for people to grab and snack on in a roving situation. The brie melted to leave a creamy tone to the inner crevices that seeped slightly into the other layers. The pesto was exquisite and distinguished as always, with an unmistakable tone that makes your eyes role back.

Mmm try them! Really easy and so good! They even made me (almost) forget the horrors that were occurring in front of me on the TV.

Cheers

February: Hot Breakfast Month Applied

For all those who are unaware, February is National Hot Breakfast month. I know…get excited. In order to celebrate as I should, I woke up extra early every morning this week in order to prepare a warm meal to start the day off right. As a result, I have perfected the art of single serving biscuits and gravy. Tarragon lends an added sweetness to the biscuits that instantly classes them up. I also gave birth to cocoa French Toast in which I added a bit of cocoa powder to increase the depth of flavor. I topped each piece with a black raspberry compote that was all at once sweet, sour, and a full serving of fruit. The result may have looked like tar, but it tasted like heaven. Who doesn’t need a bit of chocolate in the morning? Other days were slightly less exciting with oatmeal and things of that nature, but I certainly have plans for other dishes that I am extremely excited to concoct.



Now…quick trivia question. Which breakfast food item has the highest transformation in goodness based on its temperature? Unless you answered the Krispy Kreme doughnut, you are wrong. A cold Krispy Kreme doughnut is good, but too sweet and frankly not that special. Its counterpart is light and doughy with a sweet, unobtrusive finish. They melt in your mouth and can only be enjoyed with your eyes closed, so you can more intensely focus on each chew before it leaves you. Well, it is very convenient that these pillows of sugary goodness have this transformative property in this month, because this morning was Raleigh’s Krispy Kreme Challenge.



What is the Krispy Kreme Challenge? It is a test of physical ability and digestive fortitude. Run 2 miles. Eat 12 doughnuts. Run 2 miles back. Of course I had to sign up, I had heard of this race long before I moved to Raleigh and I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to subject myself to such masochism. As I woke up this morning, I questioned my decision to sign up for something so outlandish that was taking place on a cold and drearily soggy day in February. After steadily ticking through the excuses in my head and realizing that none were worthwhile, I laced up my shoes and headed into the abyss, gaining enthusiasm with each step forward and each future challenger passed. There is something refreshingly beautiful about walking around on a crisp morning before the world has gotten out of bed.

As I neared the race sight, booming music and crowds of people started swarming my senses. People in full body speed skater-like suits, people dressed up as doughnuts, fishing poles with doughnuts hanging from them, people jumping, and techno music blaring. Since when did raves become morning, outdoor activities? After a few announcements and formalities including the ceremonial giving of $40,000+ dollars to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, the race was off. Hoards of people inched across the starting line and after a few minutes, the group spread out a bit. People all around had an air of excitement, there was even a guy dressed up as a banana and a guy dressed up as a gorilla chasing each other around.



Tension mounted with the final approach off the Krispy Kreme. The crowd started to thicken and tables of white boxes lined the oasis. As I grabbed my dozen, I noted people all around me at various points of the race. There were some people who had smashed their doughnuts- four at a time into piles to wantonly shove down their gullets as quickly as possible. Other people calmly sat with their boxes, chatting away. There were television cameras and people shouting words of encouragements through megaphones. I nonchalantly chowed down one doughnut…and then a second. I believe that is officially the most I have ever eaten at one time. I was hungry! I could have gone for a third, but then decided that I didn’t want to consume more calories than I would burn by running. Ok…so maybe they weren’t hot, but I still think it counts under the month’s breakfast pattern.



I tucked the remaining 10 doughnuts under my arm and was on my way again a few minutes later. While the return trip was a bit more difficult for me, I don’t think it was nearly on the same level as some of my fellow competitors. While I was experiencing a bit of fatigue, they were experiencing severe gastro-intestinal issues. There was an added challenge of dodging the land mines of bile and sugar along with the occasional keeled-over runner. There also were crowds of people screaming their support for each subject to such a crazy game. I crossed the finish line as Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ played. I felt so good.



I can’t help but wonder what an outsider from a foreign planet, or even a foreign country would think as he observed this morning’s events. Surely they must be running from something, right? Surely they won’t get more food for a long time, right? Wrong. 4 miles, 1 hour, 12 doughnuts, 2400 calories. Mostly just fun supporting a good cause. I walked home feeling good and listening to proud racers regaling stories of their gustatory failures and triumphs. There was a sense of comradery that clung to the air…we all knew there was some crazy in the midst. I passed one guy who asked,
“Did you eat all 12?”
“No, just 2. How about you”
“Well I ate all 12…and then un-ate all 12”
How often do you get a young guy who is so eager to tell recount his last hour, spent upchucking, to a foreign young girl? It’s all in a day’s work.
As a made my way back to my house, flurries started to fall. I imagined each flake as a sugar crystal, blessing my morning’s activities.

There is a video by ESPN that features my Exercise Nutrition professor and students from a past section of my Exercise Nutrition class, relating to the Krispy Kreme Challenge.