Honey Wheat Soft Pretzels

I can’t stand the crunchy kind. Ryan, however, loves them…and I’ve seen Lucy reach for those brown salty sticks. I would only eat a bag if someone paid me (and a good sum at that). But I have an entirely different relationship with soft pretzels. Warm, buttery, doughy. Twisted again and again to allow for the contrast of caramel exterior and white interior. Give me a hot soft pretzel, and I’m in heaven.

Ryan and I started making soft pretzels at home after a trip to see his family out east. The procedure can seem daunting at first. You have to boil your pretzels in a baking soda/water mixture if you want them to have that classic crust. But besides that added step, making soft pretzels isn’t difficult. In fact, I can’t think of a more relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

These soft pretzels are made with both whole wheat flour and honey. They’re slightly sweeter than what you might find on the streets of Philadelphia but they’re just as doughy and delicious. If not more.

Honey Wheat Soft Pretzels

*Adapted from Food Network
1 1/3 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package fast acting yeast
11 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 1/4 cups
11 ounces whole wheat flour, approximately 2 1/4 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Combine the water, salt, yeast, flour, butter and honey. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

20/52

She makes us laugh. She makes us laugh so hard sometimes that I don’t remember how I ever lived life without this constant joy-maker in our home. She talks and laughs and shows us her ten little teeth. She crawls across the floor with such ferocity that I have to stop and watch her already developing zeal for exploration.

She throws the ball for Margot and then claps in delight when its brought back to her. The sight of her uncle, her grandma, her Mimi, her papa, her family…it brings her so much joy. She bounces and squeals as they walk up the path to our home. Her love grows and grows.

This week I’m missing my own mom and dad (who are on a much deserved 3 week vacation in France). I know Lucy misses them too. She hasn’t been sleeping as well during the day (naps have gone from 90 minutes to about 30) but night time sleep has improved. Drastically. I only wake up once a night to nurse, and I’m starting to feel, dare-I-say, well-rested.

We’ll head to Mom and Me Yoga in a few hours, where Lucy will no doubt delight (and slightly terrorize) her baby friends. I will relax in the company of other new moms and try to get at least a few good stretches in. Here’s to another beautiful week in 2014. I hope you are having a great one.

Pork Eggrolls

As I’ve mentioned a few times: my husband loves Asian food. Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indian, Chinese…the list could go on. I, however, have had to warm up to bowls of rice and noodles to fish sauce and soy. Because my taste buds tend to gravitate towards cuisines that center around bread (cue Parisian music).

But I’m thankful Ryan and I have slightly different food preferences because it means we both get to learn and explore and grow. We visited Paris two years ago, so I imagine Vietnam or Malaysia might be next on our list.

Last Sunday night, after we had put Lucy to bed, we made these pork egg rolls. I love doing many different activities with my husband, but cooking with him has to be one of my favorite. We chopped and rolled and fried these pork egg rolls together. I was shocked at how easily and beautifully they fried up in our wok. And believe me, you will make fast friends if you make these and bring them to a party. Crisp and flavorful and fresh. Not soggy at all.

Pork Egg Rolls

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 pound ground pork

1 inch grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 carrot, cut into julienne strips

1 small red pepper, cut into julienne strips

1 cup napa cabbage

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar or honey

1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil

20 egg roll or wonton wrappers, covered loosely with a damp paper towl to prevent drying

In a large wok, cook ground pork in 1/2 tablespoon oil until no longer pink. Remove to paper towels to drain and season with salt and pepper. In the same wok, stir-fry the ginger and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil until fragrent, about 30 seconds, then add the scallions, carrots and red pepper. Stir fry over high heat for two to three minutes.

In a large pot, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, and sugar. Add the napa cabbage and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes. Add the other vegetables and sesame oil and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Fold in the ground pork.

Fill and roll the egg roll wrappers with 1 tablespoon of filling for each roll (DON’T OVERFILL). Working with one wrapper at a time, place a heaping tablespoon of filling near the bottom corner of the diamond. Lift the bottom corner up and roll until you reach halfway up. Fold over the left side and then the right side towards the center. Continue folding with a tuck-roll-tuck-roll pattern. Finish up the roll, seal and place seam side down. Cover rolls with plastic wrap to prevent drying.

To fry the egg rolls, fill wok with two inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until a cube of bread fries to golden brown within in ten seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 at a time, turning until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Place on a wire rack to drain and cool. Enjoy warm!

Cake Doughnuts

Today is a busy day. I have a photo shoot scheduled at eleven. A meeting at the bank around two. There is no food in the house for lunch, which means I also need to squeeze a trip into Whole Foods between Lucy’s naps and are other engagements. On mornings like today, I wake up and struggle to remember what “free time” looked like in my life.

I’m not complaining because I feel blessed with a wide set of interests and passions. I’m happy I have such a rich circle of friends. But I am wondering: how do I foster stillness in my days? Because last night, after Ryan had fallen asleep, I held Lucy in my arms for what must have been an hour. She slept peacefully on my chest and I just watched the minute movements of rest: the twitch of an eyebrow, the gentle rise and fall of the torso, the sweet sucking of her lips. I need more moments like this, I thought to myself. No agenda. No plans. Just an hour to watch my daughter in all of the wonder of her childhood.

One thing that always slows me down is baking. I bake when I need time to decompress, to think, to grieve, to heal. On Tuesday, my eleven-year old niece came over after a rough day. I had spoken to my sister a few hours earlier, and so I already knew the background of the situation. After several minutes of “talking it out,” I knew we needed to do something with our hands. We needed a physical activity that occupied both our bodies and our minds, allowing the uneasiness of the situation to take a back seat. And so we made these donuts. Somehow, with Lucy strapped on my chest, we found a way to make the dough, to cut the shapes, and then to fry the donuts. (I would have found this entirely impossible my first month of motherhood).

And friends, these cake doughnuts did us all good. They fry up beautifully (and this comes from a woman who as of two weeks ago was TERRIFIED of frying anything). These aren’t particularly sweet. The exterior is slightly caramelized and crunchy while the interior is both moist and dense. Exactly what you want from a cake doughnut. As with all fried food, these are best enjoyed the day, no the hour, they’re made. So perhaps Saturday or Sunday morning, you’ll find an hour or two to make a batch of homemade cake doughnuts. And if you do, I hope you love them as much as we do.

Cake Doughnuts

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup whole milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

Oil (for frying)

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, milk, and melted butter. Beat until smooth. Add flour and stir with a large wooden spoon. The dough should be soft and sticky but firm enough to handle. If necessary, add an additional 1/2 cup flour). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to chill for 30-60 minutes.

Remove dough from refrigerator and begin to heat about 1 inch of oil to 360 degrees Fahrenheit in a large metal skillet. You can tell oil is hot enough if a small piece of bread fries to a golden brown within ten seconds.

Working with half the dough at a time, roll it out on a floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out circles using a doughnut cutter or one large and one small biscuit cutter. Gently drop the doughnuts into the hot oil (I fried about three at a time). Flip them over as they puff and turn them a few times as they continue to fry. They should reach a deep golden brown within 2-3 minutes.

Remove doughnuts with a slotted spoon and allow them to drip on a wire cookie rack (with paper towels beneath). If desired, you can douse them with cinnamon-sugar or a simple frosting (1 cup powdered sugar with 1-2 TBSP cream). Best enjoyed fresh.

19/52

We are sleeping better. Going to bed is no longer a battle (but it still involves a marathon nursing session). She sleeps longer at night. She sleeps longer during the day. For the past week, my very active and aware daughter has taken two, HOUR LONG, naps each day. It’s no surprise that I’m blogging more…naps are a heaven-sent for my to-do list.

Lucy explores our house with such ease now. She crawls from room to room almost faster than we can keep up. She’s especially fond of our bathroom (what child isn’t, I guess?). Our toilet seat remains down lest little hands decide they want to splash again.

Each morning, Ryan watches her for an hour, allowing me time to work and write. Lucy knows I’m in our office though and on most mornings, as the clock nears nine, I hear her little legs and arms scamper toward the door. She pulls herself up and starts asking for me, “ma-ma, ma-ma.” I finish my work (as I’m just about to do now), pick her up, and hold her close in my arms. It’s the best way to start a day, I think.