Ham & Cheese Pretzel Bites

OH my!  These are so yummy.

This year for Christmas day we did something a little different.  We had an appetizer party, meaning everyone brought appetizers and then we just ate all afternoon.  My kind of party!

In the past I have made pretzel rolls, which are amazing as well, because Alex loves soft baked pretzels.  In fact, our freezer is rarely without Soft Pretzels…the ones in the freezer section of the grocery, Superpretzel brand.  So this year I decided to try these, not only because we had everything to make them but also because I was sure they would be a hit.  In the end I filled about 2/3 with ham and cheese and then left the other 1/3 filling free.

Again they were delicious and what’s even better it was probably one of the easiest bread dough’s to work with.  And the biggest bonus, all 3 kids gobbled them up!


Ham & Cheese Pretzel Bites                          
(yields at least 48)
 
Ingredients:
For the dough:
1½ tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
¼ cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
2½-3 cups all-purpose flour
For the filling:
½ cup small diced ham
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

To finish:
6 cups water
4 tsp. baking soda
Kosher salt (or pretzel salt), for topping

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the yeast, brown sugar, water, milk, and 2½ cups of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix until a dough has formed.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until a soft, elastic dough forms.  Add the remaining flour a 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the dough is tacky but not sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, until the dough has doubled in size and bubbles on the surface, about 1½ to 2 hours.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide into 4 equal pieces.  Stretch or roll one piece of the dough into a 12 x 4-inch rectangle.  Sprinkle some of the diced ham and the shredded cheese over one third of the dough closest to an edge, lengthwise.  Roll up tightly, filling edge first, so that the filling is tightly sealed inside.  Slice the log into 12 pieces and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Repeat with the remaining 3 portions of dough, and the remaining filling.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.  Add the baking soda and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.  Boil the pretzels in batches, cooking for about 20 seconds and turning once. They should be slightly puffed.  Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to transfer them back to the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Source: adapted from Annies Eats, originally from Gourmet, October 2009

Afraid much?

How do you combat fear?

Homemade Bagels

Sometimes we run out of things to eat. 

That’s what happened over the past week.  With the cereal gone and oatmeal growing all the more mundane, it was time for something new.

And I really didn’t want to go grocery shopping.  Sometimes I look in our pantry and I’m overwhelmed with all the food that is in there.  But there is a problem.  Alex would say all the food is not really food, but ingredients that must be made into some sort of edible goodness.

So I made bagels.  I’ve never made them before and yes, they can be a little time consuming.  But I had the time.  As well as loads of flour and dried cranberries, thanks to Costco.  So bagels became reality.

I know  many won’t want to take on this endeavor.  But if you do, I can tell you it is so worth it.  These are so delicious and made for a very yummy New Year’s eve breakfast.

Homemade Bagels
Yield: 14

Ingredients:
For the sponge:
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
4 cups (18 ounces) bread flour
2 ½ cups (20 ounces) water, at room temperature

For the dough:
½ teaspoon (.055 ounces) instant yeast
3 ¾ cups (17 ounces)bread flour
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
5 tbsp. sugar
2 ¾ teaspoons (.7 ounce) salt
1 tablespoon honey                                                                     
2 cups loosely packed dried cranberries

To finish:
1 tablespoon baking soda
cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting

Directions:
1. To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl.  Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly.  It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.

2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough.  In the last couple minutes of mixing, add the raisins.  You may need to add a bit more flour at this point, due to any extra moisture that was added with the raisins.

3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine).  The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated.  The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 81 degrees F.  If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading.  If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achiever the stiffness required.  The kneaded dough should feels satiny and pliable but not be tacky.

4. Immediately divide the dough into equal sized, 4 ½-ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired. Form the pieces into rolls.

5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

6. Line two sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil.  Proceed with shaping the bagels by pushing a hole through the center and stretching out the hole to 2 ½ inches in diameter.

7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water.  The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it.  If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days).  If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.

9. The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500° F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda.  Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.

10. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds).  After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-line sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour.  (If you decided to replace the paper, be sure to spray the new paper lightly with spray oil to prevent the bagels from sticking to the surface.)

11. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven.  Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.)  After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450° F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown.  You may bake them darker if you prefer.

12. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

Source: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, 10 Speed Press, 2001, as seen on Annie’s Eats

New look, New year

I’ve been playing around with our blog lately and making some changes.  Here’s what the new header looks like in case you read our blog through google reader.

I’m happy with the change and being able to use our wedding pictures.  The tagline fits us:

a decidedly simple &  wonderful life

Looking forward to blogging more in 2011!

Highlights of 2010

Another year gone and a new year has just begun, well almost.

I can’t say with honesty that 2010 has been a favorite year of mine.  I can’t say that there were many highlights from my skewed point of view.  And I can’t say it was the best or the worst of times. 


But I can say that I have seen the Lord move.  I have seen suffering in my life and around me.  And if I look closely enough, I have seen the scales pulled back and my life transformed for the better, I’ve stared sanctification in the face and if 2010 has done one thing, it has drawn me to the feet of Jesus.  

I’d be lying if I said this year wasn’t hard.  I’d be lying if I said everything is okay and that it’s back to normal.  I’d be lying if there still were not tears and heartache and confusion over what to do next, what 2011 will hold.

But I can say with faith that He has been good to me.  That this year was a blessing and not a curse.  Though it has been hard I’m a better woman and a better wife because of it and our marriage is better than ever.  I’m hoping I find myself again this next year, find joy in the ordinary and remain content.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”  James 1:2-4

It’s hard to believe the year is already over.  I’m not sure I remember most of it and for that reason alone I’m glad I blog.  But for my own sake, let’s take a look back and see what the year had in store.

January

Alex turned 31 and we lived in a hotel for 30 days.

February

Dealt with the fertility stuff and heard Paul Tripp at the Marriage Retreat

March

Bought a house

April

Spent Easter with my Grandpa and heart wrenchingly decided to leave our small group of over 2 years.

May

Reminisced about my stepfather Jim and wondered how 5 years could go by so quickly and enjoyed the annual women’s retreat at our church

June

Spruced up our little patio

July

Mourned the passing of our last grandparent, my grandpa, spent a weekend up north, and joined our first CSA

 August

Revamped our bathrooms, drank green monsters, and found hope in the cross

September

Celebrated our 4th anniversary, made some very difficult decisions, sold the house and found hope through Andree Seu

October

We witnessed God’s goodness through Asher, and we went on a much needed, mind clearing, relaxing vacation. 

November

Vacation, turning 30, and retuning back to reality

December

Got back into cooking, celebrated the holidays with family, and enjoyed just being at home

that’s it 2010 in a nutshell.  what were your highlights? 

Were you there?

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?  Tell me, if you understand.  Who marked off its dimensions?  Surely you know!”

Job 38 4-5a

This morning I opened the Word.  He did not disappoint.  Have you read the account of Job lately?  Chapters 38-40 were my favorite.  When the Lord clears the air and communicates just who He is.  He is almighty God, Creator, Just, and Powerful.

Believe me, this morning I was humbled as my sinful, prideful heart always gets in the way.  It was good to be reminded of just who God is and what He has done.  And what I cannot do.

After months of snow, I’m glad I know who keeps the storehouses and gives orders to let it loose.  Read it again, stand in awe of our creator God who awakens the day by ordering in the morning and showing the dawn it’s place.

I can trust him.  And so can you.

For His wrath is but for a moment.  His tender mercies are new every day.  He loves me just as I am.  He is incredibly good.

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name.”

Psalm 9:1-2

Christmas 2010

In mid-December we headed back to WI for a triplet birthday party and to have Christmas with my family.  Jack, Luke, and Kate are 3 of my favorite kiddos and it was precious time spent with the fam.

 

 

Then on Christmas eve due to too many people feeling under the weather we headed to an early church service with Alex’s parents following lunch at Olive Garden.  We enjoyed a very relaxing morning on Christmas day and then headed to Alex’s brothers’ house for appetizers and family time.  Hanging out with 3 of my other favorite little people Macayla, Lauren, and Jack was so much fun. I included Lauren’s Grinch video in which she is trying to convey one of her favorite parts of the movie:)

Also this Christmas we have seen multiple movies, ate lots of yummy food, caught up on sleep, received many great gifts and even made some really fun purchases!  Hope you had a very enjoyable holiday!

Lauren retells her favorite part of the Grinch