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Pretzels

November 11, 2011 6 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

Cardomom buns made by Maria, who is Danish. Delicious.
As the Eurozone crumbles, the age of austerity looms. Big business/finance/government is failing. What to do? Think small. Think independent. Think DIY punk. Be resourceful. 
What has value in a world where money is uncertain? Gold, silver, water, fuel and…food.*
I’m not advocating that you dig a well in your garden (although that wouldn’t be a bad idea), keep chickens, grow vegetables, convert your roof to a solar panel, in short the survivalists handbook made real. But being self-reliant is a virtue and increasingly a necessity.
If you’ve lost your job and finding another seems unlikely, try not to lose heart. Get whatever benefits you are entitled to and make that tiny dream, germinating in the back of your mind, into a project that will sustain you whilst you downsize. This is not failure. Turn whatever you do have into something you can use.
One suggestion: if you have a roof over your head, an oven, some flour, salt, yeast and water, you can start a bakery in your house. Screw the rules, just do it. If you like it, you can find out about the regulations later.
I did this last summer, Rose Prince’s children have a Saturday morning bakery from their house in Clapham, Jane Mason of Virtuous Bread sells bread and classes from her home. Britain needs decent bread. 
Maria Mayerhofer has a boring job as a data analyst or something. She’s gone part-time, only three days a week and has converted a grotty Kilburn/West Hampstead (St.Johns Wood if you are an estate agent) council flat into a beautiful modern kitchen where she teaches baking.
Last night I went to her pretzel making class. I’ve made them before but you can always learn new tricks from others. I also needed a refresher course as I’m making large soft pretzels for next week’s Barbra Streisand dinner. It’s also one of the nicest things in German cuisine.
Basic recipe:
5g dried yeast (double it for fresh)
6g sugar
410g strong white flour
6g salt
230g warm not hot water
For boiling:
1 litre water
 2 tbsps baking soda (more accurately use food grade lye, using the appropriate safety procedures, but this appears to be impossible to obtain in Britain)
For baking:
1 teaspoon water
1 egg
2 teaspoons kosher salt or sel gris
  • Mix the dry ingredients together, making sure the yeast doesn’t touch the salt directly, then add the water and knead for 10 to 15 minutes. (Or put in a food mixer and mix for 3-5 minutes on a low speed).
  • Put the dough into the bowl and cover with a plastic bag. Leave to prove for an hour until double in size.
  • Knock back the dough and divide into sections of about 70g using a digital scale.
  • Roll each ball of 70g into a long sausage of about 10 cms. Leave for a few minutes to rest, it become easier to work with and doesn’t ‘ping’ back. Continue to roll out the other balls.
  • Then roll the rested ‘sausage’ into a longer rope of around 50-60cms.
  • Loop it into a circle, take two ends and twist them twice, then loop back into the traditional ‘praying’ pretzel shape. The pictures will make this clearer.
  • Place your formed pretzels onto a greased baking sheet or silpat.
  • Let them rise for ten minutes.
  • Then put the water and baking soda into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer.
  • Gently lower a pretzel, using a slotted spoon, into the hot water and cook for 15 seconds each side. You will see that they expand.
  • Place boiled pretzel onto a greased baking tray and repeat until all the pretzels are done.
  • In the meantime, mix the teaspoon of water and egg in a small bowl and egg glaze the pretzels with a brush.
  • Sprinkle with kosher or large sel gris salt.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes at 220c or on the top shelf of the Aga baking oven until the pretzels are a golden brown.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  • Eat with mustard and a pint of micro brewed beer.
    Blowing into the bag to make sure it’s puffy.
     The gluten or window test. This isn’t ready, it breaks, doesn’t stretch.
     Learn to knead. Hold with one hand, push away with the other, then curl it back, flip around, start again.
     Maria’s sour dough
    A production line
    Boiling them
    Egg wash
    Salt
    Bake
    Classes can be found here: Bake with Maria
    *Interesting that these sources of wealth are all found underground, apart from food. Pluto is the god of the underground but also the god of wealth. Our current woes stem from abuse of the system by the plutocracy, the very wealthy. There is a reason that I call my restaurant ‘underground’ and will not change this despite legal threats. It has strong links to transits in the world chart. I started The Underground Restaurant just as Pluto entered Capricorn (the banks, the establishment), opposing Cancer (food, the people). 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Niles

      November 12, 2011 at 6:29 pm

      Baking soda is the same thing as Bicarbinate of soda, yeah?

      Reply
    2. theundergroundrestaurant

      November 12, 2011 at 11:16 pm

      yes basically…

      Reply
    3. The Curious Cat

      November 13, 2011 at 10:07 pm

      Hey, funny you should be posting on such a topic…I was just sitting here feeling rather glum about how my quest for improving my life has kind of fallen flat (I think it is just one of those dark sunday days really more than anything else…) in terms of finances and feeling a bit unlucky in the work place despite so much effort trying to find the right job…and then I saw this which was like a little flickering glimmer of hope…not much but something…thanks! 🙂 xxx

      Reply
    4. theundergroundrestaurant

      November 13, 2011 at 10:40 pm

      CC: what would you like to do ?

      Reply
    5. Cathy

      November 26, 2011 at 8:03 pm

      Those pretzels look amazing – a bakery at Blackheath Sunday Market has lovely soft ones which are similar. They also have pretzel rolls, shaped like a hot dog bun and studded with salt on the top.

      Cathy, a food and home loving Cancerian

      Reply
    6. theundergroundrestaurant

      November 26, 2011 at 8:17 pm

      Cathy: that sounds gorgeous…but I never get to Blackheath 🙁

      Reply

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    MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

    Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

    This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

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    msmarmitelover

    Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
    Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed t Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed the top of these toile de jouey curtains in my summer house shed. The days are lengthening a little which brightens up my mood. Self care= trying to get up and washed. Trying to leave the house once a day. Keeping my hands busy. Finding small ways to be creative. #coronaloner #sewingmachine #curtains #shedsofinstagram #sheshed #springiscoming #supperclub #stayingsane #selfcare #lockdown3
    Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I get up later and later every day. I’m living in a twilight world- dim skies, getting nothing done. Next week it’s my birthday and every year I’m at my lowest ebb just before my birthday. Lockdown on your own is tough. My motivation, my mojo has disappeared. #lockdown3 #coronaloner #pastadinner #nofilter #january2021 #januarychallenge #selfemployedwomen #single #aquarius #0degrees
    On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
    Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper pesto alla genovese with trofie, small boiled salad potatoes, steamed green beans (good tip: steam the beans in a colander plopped on top of the potatoes or pasta), good quality pesto sauce ( mine from local microbakery @seansloaf ), good olive oil (@pomoragoodfood), torn fresh basil, a few pine nuts. This turns this student dish into a balanced meal of carbs, veg and a little protein.  It’s cold outside, I’ve lit the fire. Covid rages in Kilburn high road in north west london. The rate is 1 in 30 london wide but I feel it’s higher in this poor inner london area. We have a high BAME population who are particularly vulnerable. It’s a little bit anarchic on my high street: cars perched on kerbs waiting for hijabi women, braving pound shops and Aldi . We are all covered up now. In winter masks keep your face warm, but you have a choice between safety and being able to see. I’ve not managed to prevent the inevitable steaming up of my glasses when wearing a mask. Nothing works.  #january #londonwinter #pestopasta #pestoallagenovese #vegetarian #pasta #trofie #supperclub #covid_19 #lockdownlife #lockdown3 #bubblegang
    Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
    Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
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    Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is san Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is sandwiches. They use the softest, whitest, fluffiest bread. Their mayonnaise kewpie is gorgeous I don’t know why. Perhaps someone here can explain? Here I’ve used sourdough as it’s what I have; kosho which is a Yuzu citrus and green chilli condiment and the aforesaid kewpie Mayo to make an egg 🥚 sandwich.  I’m not a big egg fan but I suddenly had the urge. Also I’ve noticed when I eat eggs it satiates my hunger for hours. All that protein.  #sandwich #sandwiches #japanesesandwich #kewpiemayo #kosho #eggsandwich #sourdough #supperclub #cookingforone #solo #londonlife #lockdownlondon #recipe #snack #sundaysnack #sando
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    Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair rep Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair reputation in this country. It’s so flexible and is a brilliant flavour sponge. Here I’m preparing my soft tofu for a Japanese dish: agedashi tofu. I first pressed it in a clean tea towel with a weight on top to firm it up a bit but not too much. Then I dusted it with cornflour and I will deep fry it in oil. Then I will serve it in a broth of dashi/mirin and tamari sauce, sprinkled with finely chopped spring onions and togarashi pepper from Japan. I would usually add some finely mandolined daikon radish but couldn’t find any. It’s a subtle dish of texture: soft yet crispy. After Christmas I’m desperate for light zingy fresh flavoured food. #supperclub #tofu #vegan #vegetarian #agedashitofu #newyearsday #cookingagain #lunch #asian #japanesefood
    Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holdi Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holding on...
#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
    Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg includi Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg including mashed swede with cheese and butter. I put pomegranate seeds with my sprouts, and cooked my carrots in marmalade ( worked v well), the mushroom wreath fell apart as I was transferring it to a tray 😤, roast potatoes and parsnips, then a cheese spread with fruit nuts, quince cheese (homemade), Chocs @lindtuk 😍 @guylian_uk @disaronno_official @baileysofficial @taylorsportwine and Brazil nuts. Plus a pavlova wreath ready to be topped with whipped cream and persimmons. 
#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
    Christmas has started! Home-cured smoked beetroot Christmas has started!  Home-cured smoked beetroot and aquavit salmon with homemade blinis, creme fraiche, dill, Prosecco.  The fire is lit 🔥, the tree is up, 🎄the presents 🎁 are wrapped, we have a #brexit deal- a Christmas miracle. Peace and harmony. #christmas #christmasinengland #homemade #christmaseve #blinis #smokedsalmon #prosecco🍾 #londonchristmas
    Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christm Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christmas decorating. It might also cheer up passersby. #christmas #christmasdecor #doorscaping #doorsofinstagram #londonchristmas #doorwreath #doordecor #doorsoftheworld #doordecoration #exteriors #london #supperclub #covidchristmas
    Look at my gorgeous Nordic pine Christmas tree 🎄 from @pinesandneedles with some family ornaments and beautiful foodie ornaments from @gisela_graham  it’s 7 foot high and no drop. My parents brought over the candle lights. I’ve also used paper ornaments (apples and pears cut from maps) from @dionne_leonard which I first commissioned for a supper club.  #christmas #christmastree #christmasdecor #foodiedecorations #glassbaubles #supperclub #christmasinlondon
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