I split my time growing up between the suburbs of Northeast Philly, Penn., and Queens, N.Y. You quickly learn that there are certain foods that are just better in certain places.
Take soft pretzels, for instance: Philly rules. You can get the best pizza and bagels in New York, but the only place to get the best soft pretzel is Philadelphia.
Occasionally, I’ll make a cheesy dip for guests, but, in my world, mustard is the only way to go.
Philadelphia-Style Soft Pretzels
From the kitchen of Priya Hutner
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1½ C warm water
4 C all-purpose flour
2 t salt
4 t baking soda
5 C water
Coarse salt for sprinkling on top before baking
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease baking sheet.
Dissolve yeast in warm water. In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt together. Mix in yeast water to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough until smooth, then roll into a large ball and place in a greased glass bowl. Cover with a damp towel and allow it to rise somewhere warm for 1 hour.
When the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into about 6 to 8 balls. Roll out the balls into long ropes and shape into pretzels. Set aside.
Dissolve baking soda in water and bring to a boil. Drop the pretzels into the boiling water until the pretzel floats. Remove from water, drain and place pretzel on the sheet pan. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for 10 minutes or until browned. Serve warm out of the oven with favorite mustard or Cheesy Beer Dip.
Cheesy Beer Dip
From the kitchen of Priya Hutner
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 T fresh garlic, minced
½ small onion, diced small
1 can beer
1 C gruyere or Jarlsberg, grated or shredded
1 C sharp cheddar, grated or shredded
1 t Dijon or stone-ground mustard
1 C heavy cream
1 t kosher salt
1 t fresh ground pepper to taste.
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and diced small
Melt the butter in a pot on medium heat. Add flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add garlic and onion; cook for about 3 minutes. Add beer and mustard; mix well and allow the mixture to simmer and thicken.
Stir in grated cheese, a bit at a time. Add diced pepper and stir until reaching a smooth consistency. Add heavy cream, salt and pepper and mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with homemade soft pretzels or buy frozen soft pretzels and bake them.
