Love Knots

Laura is a culinary genius.  I was painfully reminded at how fortunate we are when she went to Cosmetology school for 18 months and we were sometimes left to fend for ourselves.  It wasn't pretty.  Laura would often prepare most of a meal and then turn it over to us to complete a few 'simple' steps.  Somehow in those final few steps we would make a fatal mistake that would make us more fully appreciate Laura's exceptional talent.

I imagine it must be hard to cook for 7 different people while trying to satisfy their unique tastes.  Laura does a great job of planning a menu that gives everyone something to look forward to.  She also keeps things fresh by continuing to discover new recipes for us to enjoy.  In fact, over the years my list of 'favorite' meals has continued to grow.   One of my all-time favorite things that she makes are homemade pretzels.

 first time I remember her making pretzels was when we lived in Aurora, Colorado.  It was the last week of December and we were still on a Christmas high.  There was a clean blanket of fresh snow covering the yard, I was watching the Denver Broncos win a playoff game and Laura was honing her talent with a new recipe.  This recipe took longer than most as it required time for the dough to rise as well as 2 different baking steps.  The results were unforgettable.  This new recipe was an instant favorite.  Since it yields just a dozen pretzels and requires hours of hard work it is truly a labor of love.   Laura has started a tradition of making this family favorite during general conference.  These love knots don't even have a chance to cool before they are gobbled up by the entire family.

Pretzels
4 - 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons salt
3 quarts boiling water
1 slightly beaten egg white
1 Tablespoon water
coarse salt

    In a mixing bowl stir together 1-1/2 cups of the flour and  the yeast.  In a saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, oil, and the 1 teaspoon salt till warm (120 - 130 degrees).  Add to flour mixture.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.  Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.  Using a spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
    Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total).  Shape dough into a ball.  Place dough in a greased bowl; turn once to grease surface.  Cover and let rise in a warm place till double (about 1-1/4 hours).
    Punch dough down.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Cover, let rest 10 minutes.  Roll dough into a 12x10-inch rectangle.  Cut into twenty 12x1/2-inch strips.  Gently pull each strip into a rope about 16 inches long.
    Shape each pretzel by crossing one end over the other to form a circle, overlapping about 4 inches from each end.  Take one end of dough in each hand and twist once at the pint where the dough overlaps.  Carefully lift each end across to the edge of the circle opposite it.  Tuck ends under edges to make a pretzel shape.  Moisten ends; press to seal.
    Place pretzels on greased baking sheets.  Bake in a 475 deg oven for 4 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.
    Dissolve the 2 tablespoons salt in the boiling water.  Lower pretzels, three or four at a time, into boiling water.  Boil for 2 minutes, turning once.  Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.  Let stand a few seconds, then place about 1/2 inch apart on well-greased baking sheets.
    Combine egg white and the 1 tablespoon water.  Brush pretzels with a little of the egg white and water mixture.  Sprinkle pretzels lightly with coarse salt.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or till golden brown.  Remove from baking sheets.  Cool on wire racks  Makes 20 pretzels.