WFO pretzels. Miserable failure.

[fishingpol]

I wanted to try homemade pretzels today. Fired the oven up and made the pretzel dough.


Getting it going.

[



Rolling along.






Cooking with the water-soaked baking door on. Wisps of bready pretzels smells drifted out. Hot coals soaked the bricks for 20 minutes and were raked out 15 minutes prior.





One bad scene. I will have to make another fire to cook out the stuck dough. I broke a few rules here. I didn't want to use cornmeal, but I should have floured the bricks maybe. The pretzels were wet from the dip in water/baking soda. Flour probably would not have helped. The recipe called for baking on the sheet pan, but it would not fit in the door of the oven.




I salvaged about 6 if you count broken pieces. They were tasty and chewy. A few never made it onto the plate.



I rose the pretzel dough, but next time I would cut the rise time in half. They puffed up too big. The Octoberfest beer was the best part of the afternoon.

 

[NW Walker]

Well, it was a heck of a good try. I'm going to have to give that a run myself. I wonder if you could set them on parchment paper and put the whole works in that way? They still look pretty dang good from here.

 

[fishingpol]

Great idea. I have a pizza peel cut to the width of the door. I could get the whole shebang in there. Hopefully I would have no small coals left in the back to cause a burn up of the paper.

 

[fossil]

Nothing ventured... I bet next time they're better, and even better the time after next.

 

[NW Walker]

My little oven is rocket stove powered so it's a bit different, but I've had pretty good luck with parchment paper in there when I just didn't trust what I was putting in to come out nicely.

 

[WellSeasoned]

Hey, like I said a month or so ago, id eat that right off the floor! I never knew why, except for maybe cooking them evenly, why they need to be pretzel shaped. I say, go to town with it, whatever shapes you make , so be it. Maybe wrap some pretzel dough around a pre cooked sausage or hot dog. I love it when u post food pics.

 

[fishingpol]

Hey, like I said a month or so ago, id eat that right off the floor!

Funny you mention that. Better get it before the raccoon gets it in an hour or so.

 

[webbie]

These are Pretzels!

 

[ScotO]

Jon, you gotta start somewhere in regards to those pretzels. It almost looks to me like the dough may have had a little too much yeast, or maybe it was a little too loose. Today was a learning experience, and they still tasted good, so the next time you'll get better......I'm sure the smell in your neighborhood was to die for!! I'd have no trouble helping get rid of them!

Some of those lumpy pretzels dipped in the jar of homemade hot pepper sweet mustard I have in fridge would be delicious!!

 

[ironpony]

They really do not look that bad. Maybe a little to wet? roll out a little thinner. did you fire it the same as cooking pizza?, Hot!! I am going to try this, this weekend, will be making pizzas. I am going to go with no door, fired the sama as a pizza fire, rolled out fairly thin. Ill try to remember pics,always forget when thing get rollling along.

 

[will711]

beer was the best part of the afternoon.

It usually is

 

[fishingpol]

They really do not look that bad. Maybe a little to wet? roll out a little thinner. did you fire it the same as cooking pizza?, Hot!! I am going to try this, this weekend, will be making pizzas. I am going to go with no door, fired the sama as a pizza fire, rolled out fairly thin. Ill try to remember pics,always forget when thing get rollling along.

Fired it regular, raked the coals out and let it set for a little while for the temp to come down. Wood door was put on to keep the heat in. The dough recipe was great, maybe a little thinner next time is a good suggetion, but I wanted big pretzels. Less rising time. I will try again until I get it right.

 

[Hearth Mistress]

Funny you mention that. Better get it before the raccoon gets it in an hour or so.

if it is too hot it evaporates the dough as soon as it hits the bricks and they stick....as you found out . Did you boil them before baking?

When we did these at "Military Through the Ages" as a treat for the re-enactors, we put them in on parchment. It was a clay oven, brick floor (I was with a 15th century group we built it for this event) had about a 2 1/2 old fire with just coals so it didn't burn. They weren't perfect as our forming skills weren't the best but they were tasty with the hard cider another group made

This is what we did, this guy posts some good stuff
http://www.woodfiredkitchen.com/?p=466

 

[fishingpol]

if it is too hot it evaporates the dough as soon as it hits the bricks and they stick....as you found out . Did you boil them before baking?

When we did these at "Military Through the Ages" as a treat for the re-enactors, we put them in on parchment. It was a clay oven, brick floor (I was with a 15th century group we built it for this event) had about a 2 1/2 old fire with just coals so it didn't burn. They weren't perfect as our forming skills weren't the best but they were tasty with the hard cider another group made

This is what we did, this guy posts some good stuff
http://www.woodfiredkitchen.com/?p=466

No live fire at the time of cooking. Oven was firing for about 1 hr. Coals then raked around to heat the brick floor. Raked the coals out and left to cool for 15 minutes. Pretzels rose, (too long) then dipped in water/baking soda heated to just under a boil for a minute and then flipped for another minute.

Parchment paper would have helped, as well as thinner rolls.

 

[fishingpol]

Great link by the way. What is "spelt"? I may be short on that.

I almost cried when I saw their picture. I am not worthy.

 

[Hearth Mistress]

The best part of all of this is eating the not so perfect ones....experimenting is delicious!!

 

[Hearth Mistress]

Spelt is another grain flour is made from, it's an ancient grain that's popped up in pasta, bread, etc these days. It isn't all that expensive. My grocery store sells the "Bob's Red Mill" bags of it and a whole lot if other weird flours. It's a lighter texture so it isn't as dense. If you want to try it, PM me, I'll send ya some for your experimenting!

 

[firebroad]

Hope you will post pics of second attempt!

 

[begreen]

I have to try these now. They should go great with some fresh home brew.

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/12/25/30-minute-whole-wheat-pretzels/

 

[fishingpol]

Spelt is another grain flour is made from, it's an ancient grain that's popped up in pasta, bread, etc these days. It isn't all that expensive. My grocery store sells the "Bob's Red Mill" bags of it and a whole lot if other weird flours. It's a lighter texture so it isn't as dense. If you want to try it, PM me, I'll send ya some for your experimenting!

Thanks for the offer. Does spelt make a difference in the texture or consistency of the dough to make it worth adding?

We do have the "Bob's" products up here, I may just grab some next time.

 

[Hearth Mistress]

I honestly don't know as that is the only recipe I've ever used and the only way I've ever made pretzels (in our 15th century clay oven). I know when I've used it in bread it changes the constancy from a pretty a dense loaf to a lighter loaf but because I'm pretty sure it's still technically wheat, the gluten still gives you stretchy dough. It's worth a try, worse case you can combine it with other flours for pizza crusts or bread....more experiments