Busy baking weekend

I’ve spent almost the entire weekend baking bread. I’m not complaining. I enjoy that activity. This weekend was filled with developing and tweaking recipes for soft pretzels and bagels. I succeeded at both, although the soft pretzels were the most difficult to get just right.

The first go-round, they weren’t much more than regular bread knots. There wasn’t really a pretzel-y feel to them in the mouth, so I had to figure out a few things, experiment a little, until I finally achieved the results I was aiming for.

The bagels were quite a bit easier to develop. The only hold-up on them was getting the appearance right. I accomplished that on my second try, though, so I feel pretty good about it.

I’m including pictures of both for your viewing pleasure.

Both breads are chewy yet moist and delicious.

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