aus bayern. { brezn/pretzel }

You may say my palate is not cut out for Bayern. I mean... just to give you some examples, I'm not that fond of potatoes, I'm not really keen on sausages or beer, I could easily live without meat and I'm not that into butter. On the other hand, I love fish, rice and wine, which is something that is not really common/affordable/good around here. I do miss the food back home sometimes, but, that said, I am a big (and growing) fan of Bayerische cuisine.

As for these... I could eat them every single day, all day long ;)

(note: I know what a good Breze is about and this recipe is still not 'perfect'. It was the first time I did them and my friends ate them all in seconds so I think it's not entirely bad anyway :) )

Brezn

- 500g de farinha

- 1 embalagem de fermento seco

- 2 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- 1 colher de chá de sal fino

- 350ml de leite morno

- 2 colheres de sopa de bicarbonato de sódio

- 1,5 l de água

- sal grosso

1) Numa taça grande, misturar a farinha, o fermento, o açúcar e o sal; incorporar o leite morno e amassar um pouco, até a mistura se despegar das paredes,

2) Deixar levedar tapado com um pano durante cerca de 45 min, até ter duplicado de tamanho,

3) Deitar sobre uma superfície enfarinhada e amassar mais um pouco,

4) Formar um cilindro com cerca de 20 cm e cortar em 15 partes iguais (dependendo do tamanho desejado, pode-se cortar em mais ou menos pedaços),

5) Com cada uma das partes, formar cilindros, rolando os e esticando com convicção; o meio deve ficar mais grosso que as pontas (requer prática! ;)); formar os brezn,

6) Levar ao lume a água com o bicarbonato de sódio cerca de 10 min,

7) Cozer cada brezn na água cerca de 30 segundos, virando a meio do tempo; retirar da imersão e escorrer,

8) Colocar num tabuleiro forrado com papel vegetal e salpicar com sal grosso,

9) Levar ao forno a 180ºC cerca de 20 minutos.

Brezn

- 500g flour

- 1 pckg dried yeast

- 2 tbsp sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- 350ml lukewarm milk

- 2 tbsp baking soda

- 1,5 l water

- coarse salt

1) In a big bowl, mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt; mix in milk and knead a bit, until it doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl,

2) Let leaven for about 45 min, covered with a cloth, until it reaches double the size,

3) Knead a bit more over a surface lightly dusted with flour,

4) Roll into a cilinder about 20 cm long and cut into 15 pieces,

5) Roll each piece, pulling the ends out so it stretches out; the middle part should be thicker than the ends,

6) Take the water to a boil with the baking soda for about 10 min,

7) Boil each brezn in the water for about 30 seconds, turning them; drain,

8) Place in a parchment paper lined tray, sprinkle with coarse salt,

9) Bake at 180ºC for about 20 minutes.