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A visit to Chickadee Gardens

I was excited to finally get to see Chickadee Gardens last week. I have followed Tamara's blog  for years. She and her husband garden on 2 acres in Saint Helens, Oregon.  When you look at the map, it appears that St. Helens is directly across the Columbia River and slightly to the north of us. However, there is no convenient bridge to get over to the Oregon side. You must go north to Ridgefield, Washington (about 30 minutes north of our house) and go across there  or travel through Portland and then go north through Scappoose. Either way, it is about a 45 minute drive. I decided to try the Ridgefield route and I was glad I did. Not only did I not have to contend with Portland traffic (it was Rose Parade weekend), I got to see country on the Oregon side that was new to me.  Tamara used to work at the beautiful Joy Creek Nursery (my favorite, but alas they are now closed) and she now works part-time at Cistus Nursery.  She focuses on native plants and sustainabili...

Homemade Pretzels


I haven't made homemade pretzels since we were in Alabama and I had forgotten how easy they are if not a little time consuming. I made these last week for Oscar night. They keep a long time in an airtight container.

  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
    1 tablespoons brown sugar
    teaspoons salt
    1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)
    3 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup bread flour
    2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
    2 tablespoons baking soda
    1-2 tablespoons butter, melted
    2 tablespoons kosher salt

Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the yeast, brown sugar and salt in the 1.5 cups of warm water. Stir to dissolve.

Stir in the flour. Knead for about 7-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let it rise for an hour (I place mine in the oven with the light on).




Combine the two cups of warm water with the baking soda in a square shallow pan.

After the dough has risen, cut it into 12 equal pieces. 





Roll each section into a thin 3-feet rope.




Twist the dough into a pretzel shape and dip it in the water and baking soda mixture.



Place on the parchment covered baking sheets and let it rise another 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450.

Bake the pretzels for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven, brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt.



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Those look really good. Are they crunchy or bread-y?

    I bought an authentic baguette pan and have been making baguettes--the pan made all the difference.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These are soft pretzels. I've never made baguettes.

      Delete
  2. My son used to make these all the time when he was in school. It's time to try them again. Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my goodness, I was practically drooling over this post. I love soft pretzels!

    ReplyDelete

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