20
FROM MARTHA
Pretzels
DO YOU REMEMBER the first time you ate a giant, soft, salty pretzel, purchased warm from a street
vendor? I do—it was while I was standing in line with my friends, waiting to enter Radio City Music
Hall, in New York City, to see its Christmas show on a Saturday morning in December. We were
cold, our fingertips were freezing from the frigid air, and the pretzels warmed our hands and our
souls. We loved the crystals of salt, and the smooth exterior and somewhat fluffy interior of those
pretzels. I dreamed one day of learning how to form and cook them myself.
It wasn’t until many years later (I will not tell you how many!) that I was introduced to the creator
of what I consider the very best soft pretzels in the United States. Lina Kulchinsky is a petite, lively,
pretty, curly-haired Russian woman who has developed a recipe for pretzels she tops with an amazing
variety of unusual and delicious flavors that will make you, your family, and your friends lifelong fans.
I have baked with Lina on my PBS television series Martha Bakes, and I baked with her again in
our test kitchens to prepare for this issue. We had such fun chatting about her childhood in Moscow,
her various stints in the pastry kitchens of many great chefs, and her successful entrepreneurial
ventures, including Sigmund’s Pretzels, on Avenue B in Manhattan’s East Village (sigmundnyc.com). Treat yourself, treat your kids, treat everyone you know—bake some pretzels, soon! And by
the way, bake a lot; you can freeze them with awesome results.Shaping Up
Lina Kulchinsky of Sigmund’s Pretzels, in New York City, shared her recipe
and techniques with me. The dough is easy to work into the classic pretzel shape.SOFT PRETZELSActive Time: 1 hr. 30 min.
Total Time: 2 hr. 15 min., plus chilling
Makes: One dozen large, two dozen
medium, or four dozen small2 cups warm water (about 110°)
2 packages (¼ ounce each)
rapid-rise yeast
¾cup packed dark-brown sugar
6 ½cups unbleached bread flour
4 tablespoons coarse salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut
into small pieces
Vegetable-oil cooking spray½cup baking soda
½cup pale ale–style beer
Pretzel salt (available at king
arthurflour.com)
Poppy seeds, sunflower seeds,
pumpkin seeds, caraway seeds,
sesame seeds, and finely grated
Parmesan, cheddar, and
Gruyère, for toppings (optional)
Mustards and cornichons,
for serving1.In a medium bowl, mix together
warm water, yeast, and ½ cup
brown sugar; let stand until foamy,
5 to 10 minutes.2.In the bowl of an electric mixer,
combine flour and coarse salt
using your hands. Add butter and
continue to combine with your
hands until mixture is crumbly.
Add yeast mixture and, still using
your hands, combine until a
shaggy dough is formed and
water is absorbed.- Using the dough-hook attach-
ment, mix dough on medium-low
speed until tight, elastic, and
smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Wrap in
plastic and refrigerate at least
8 hours and up to overnight. - Preheat oven to 450°, with rack
in upper third. Lightly coat a
baking sheet with cooking spray.
Roll out dough into a 14-by-12-inch
rectangle. Cut dough into twelve
14-inch-long strips, each about
1 inch wide. Working with one
piece at a time, form dough into
desired shapes and sizes (for
details, see page 22). Transfer to
prepared baking sheet.