Soft Pretzels
Yield: 24 pretzels
2 16 oz. loaves of frozen bread dough, thawed
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tsp. water
Coarse salt
Grease two cookie sheets and set aside. Separate thawed bread dough into 24 11⁄2-inch balls. Roll each ball into a rope 141⁄2 inches long. Form a circle with each rope and cross over the ends, connecting them to the bottom of the circle. Place pretzels 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Let stand for 20 minutes, then brush with combined egg white and water, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Carefully place a shallow pan containing 1 inch of boiling water on bottom rack of oven. Place cookie sheets containing pretzels on a rack above the water and bake at 350º for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Coffee Can Bread
Yield: 2 loaves
4 cups all-purpose white flour, divided
1 envelope fast-acting yeast
1⁄2 cup water
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
Grease two one-pound coffee cans and set aside. Measure 11⁄2 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the yeast. Using a saucepan, combine water, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, and salt. Heat until warm, but not boiling. Add the warm liquids to the bowl of flour and yeast. Beat until smooth. Add two eggs. Add remaining flour (21⁄2 cups) and beat until smooth and elastic. Divide dough in half and place in the two coffee cans. Cover the can tops with aluminum foil. Let rise in a warm oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and place the cans back in the oven and bake at 375º for 35 minutes.