Ok, this isn't so much a 'cover' as it is perhaps a faithful rendition of an old standard. And I think it also fits into our theme as I did nick the recipe from beloved bread master, Ciril Hitz.
The thing is, every few months I feel the sudden urge to get my hands into some dough, to feel this living, breathing mass that we don't really 'make', but rather we enable nature to just do it's thing. It was with bread that my passion for cooking formed, as well as my curiosity with how food fundamentally works. The smell of yeast, the feel of flour on my hands- they instantly take me back to those days over 15 years ago.
I built quite a repertoire as I filled the cases of the bakery I worked in. Perhaps my favorites were bagels and soft pretzels. The whole process and ritual intrigued me as much as the results. On a slow day recently (rare indeed) we decided to make our own, just for the hell of it. Simon made the dough a day ahead and I set about hand rolling. Awkward at first, after a few mis-shapen rings the physical memory of the hands started to come back. After a quick boil in a honey syrup, I still can't get over the fact that these ugly wrinkly blobs will transform into a smooth glossy finish in the oven.
We cheated and used the same dough for a round of pretzels. The only difference came in the boil, to which we added baking soda (in place of the traditional lye). Incidentally, this is a great way to teach the Maillard reaction, and how an increase in pH accelerates the browning and kicks up the flavor- that ineffable 'pretzle-y' flavor.
