Make and Take, February 23, 2010

Make and Take ~ Feb. 2010 Its a German Thing!

It is rainy and cold here in Portland today, so when I rolled out of bed, I was so happy as I remembered today was Make and Take!  Something fun and time to connect with the gals.  Jean was our host this month with home made mustard and pretzel rolls on the creation list!  What fun!
We started with the soaking of the mustard:

1/4 cup brown mustard seeds
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
3/4 cup flat amber beer (or beer of your choice)
1 Tblsp of mustard pwdr
1 Tblsp dried minced onions
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt

 Soak the mustard seeds in the beer over night.  About 20 minutes before you are ready to make the mustard, stir in mustard pwdr, minced onion, and thyme into the soaked seed mixture and allow to sit.

Place the mustard mixture to a blender (or food processor) along with the vinegar and salt.  Grind until the consistency of a paste, with some seeds remaining visible.  Transfer to a glass jar, cover and refrigerate 4-5 days before using.

Then we moved onto the Laugen Brotchen (Pretzel Rolls)  This recipe is from Cast Sugar and delicious!!!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. warm milk
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 c. all-purpose flour
Kosher salt or pretzel salt
2 qt. cold water
1/2 c. baking soda

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix 1/3 cup of the warm (105-115 F) water with the yeast and let stand until foamy. Add the remaining cup of warm water, the warm milk, melted butter, and brown sugar and mix to dissolve the sugar.

Attach your dough hook to your stand mixer, and slowly add the 4 cups of flour until combined. Continue using your dough hook to mix the dough until it forms a nice, firm dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot long log and cut into 12 even pieces. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a damp cloth and let sit for 30 minutes.

Pat dough into rolls, or form pretzel knows and arrange on a lightly floured surface, about an inch apart, and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets.

In a large stockpot, bring the cold water to a rolling boil and add the baking soda. Drop the rolls -- one or two at a time -- into the boiling water and boil for no more than 30 seconds, turning them over once. Carefully remove with tongs, spatula, or slotted spoon and hold above the pot to let drain.

Deposit boiled rolls into the greased baking sheet (6 per sheet) and sprinkle lightly with pretzel or kosher salt. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

Bake the rolls on the upper and middle racks of the oven for 8-10 minutes until brown all over -- if necessary, shift pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through, for even baking.

Let the rolls cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

 

None to soon, and we were ready for our German lunch and trying our new creations.  Jean set a beautiful table with a touch of spring in our floral centerpiece and blooming rings!  Thank you Jean for a wonderful and unique German adventure! 

~ MJ
Copyright 2010 MJ's Table Talk