A Super Bowl of...Pretzels

I hit the kitchen this morning in preparation for the big game.

I wanted to whip up a batch of Giant Bavarian Pretzels from a recipe I saw in Every Day With Rachael Ray.

I made them (pictured at left) last September. I remember thinking that they were the best tasting soft pretzels I'd ever had. Soft, chewy dough inside. Salty crust outside. Plus, the baking soda bath lent an extra savory flavor.

The downside?

Only six pretzels for what amounts to nearly an hour of work.

But it's good for special occasions. Special occasions like the Super Bowl.

I got started on the dough. Mixed the lukewarm water and packet of yeast. Flour, light brown sugar, salt, egg yolk and melted unsalted butter went into the mixer. After 5 minutes, I added the yeast mixture.

Then, disaster struck.

I must have not given the dough my full attention. Not sure if I added too much flour or spilled a little too much yeast mixture when I transferred it to the mixer. In any event, the dough ended up flaky and dry. It barely held together. A little kneading helped to incorporate the flaky bits, but it was still tough to roll. My hands were raw and sore by the third pretzel. But I was too far into the baking process to give up on the entire batch. So I rolled out all six pretzels, gave each a baking soda bath and brushed them with egg white. I sprinkled each with salt before baking them.

The result?

Dry soft pretzels (pictured at right). A grotesque version of the batch I made last year.

Yet, count on my husband to snag one as he watched the big game.

Why?

"They're made with love," he said.