Tomato pretzel with tomato yeast water and the thin pocky and crackers.

Actually, Japanese call this "Tomato pretzl", I think that is come from pretzel. So, I will write it Pretzel here that is understandable for everyone, even though it doesn't look like pretzel that I usually get here. The texture is very crispy and keep the crispiness for days as same as Ron's *sourdough cracker. They all gone within a couple days. So I don't know the thing exactly. Ron's great formula

( *Here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/22562/sourdough-crackers)

and ,I made a Japanese snack, Pocky recently ( Here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/23615/strawberry-pocky-my-version-mixed-fruit-yeast-water ) After I posted strawberry pocky,  Robyn (RobynNZ )who gives us great information on TFL told me the great link of the pocky that we can make at home.  Thank you for all your help, Robyn. ( Bowー お辞儀)  ( Here :  http://www.notquitenigella.com/2008/12/01/pocky-christmas-forest-white-christmas-dark-christmas-chili-chocolate-honeycomb-and-green-tea-pocky/ )  That motivated me to make thinner strawberry pocky. Although I was intrigued to make healthier one because my daughter tends to suffer with irregularity.  My brother and mother who are in Japan love Tomato pretzel which is used tomatoes and vegetables..http://www.google.com/search?q=tomato+pretz&hl=en&pwst=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS370US371&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=AvTbTa-0A9KCtgf6xKC4Dw&ved=0CDMQsAQ&biw=1259&bih=681   Tomatoes? Yes, I made tomato pretzel with tomato yeast that I used jump-start with my raisin yeast water.It is very thin sticks that I really wanted to make.     Here is the recipe: Ingredients: Levain:

• Smashed ( 20g raisin yeast water + 80g grape tomatoes by FP )+ filtered water =100g
• KA AP 100g
• Honey 16g

* Note:  After I smashed the tomatoes with raisin yeast water by FP and taking them out, the actual weight was 82g around. So I added 18g filtered water to get total 100g.

Final dough:

• 216g levain
• 108g KA AP ( Levain 216 x0.5=108)
• 43g butter
• 4.3g salt
• 0.6g black pepper ( as you like)
• 0.4g vegetable broth powder or consomme powder ( as you like)

Optional : Topping for sesami seeds

Method:

1. Make the levain : leave it at room temperature at 70F for 14-16 hours until doubled   The grape tomatoes + raisin yeast water + filtered water mixture. After I made the levain.                             .  Doubled.           
2. Note: You can keep it in the refrigerator to adjust for you baking schedule.                                                                                       * I haven't left the dough for more than 4 hours. It may be suffered from sour if you leave it for 24 hours. My point is that not to get the levain hungry                                                                                                                                                                            
3. Mix the levain with the final dough: Mix all the ingredients and knead until passing a window pane.                                            
4.  Bulk fermentation: 4-5 hours until doubled at 73 F around.
5.  Preheat & shape : Preheat the oven at 400F/200℃. Dump the dough in some sesami seads both sides and flatten the dough as much as you can. .                                                                                                                             2mm thick.                                                                                                                    
6.  Make the string: Cut the dough to make a string by a pizza cutter or a knife.                                        
7. Make thin and long strings: Roll the string using both hands like rolling the pie dough.
8.  Bake : 380F/ 193℃ for 10-11 minutes until golden brown. Light yellow is not ready to take out of the oven yet. It may not be crispy ...                                                                                                                                                                                        

Note: When I make this tomato pretzel, I measure the levain's actual weight before mixing the final dough. I got this idea from Ron ( Ronray's great sourdough crackers) Thank you, Ron!Example:

1.  Actual levain weight : 200g
2.  200 x 0.5 = 100g -- Final dough's flour

    Threfore, Final dough:

• Flour  200g ( 100g levain's flour + 100g final dough's flour which means the actual levain amount)               100%
• Butter  40g                                                                                                20%
• Salt  4g                                                                                                        2%
• Black pepper 0.6g                                                                                    0.3%
• Consomme or vegetable broth powder 0.4g                                              0.2%

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Thin pocky turned out crackers:

 When I achieve to make thin pocky that I want, I made a mistake at the shaping process. It ended up crackers.. but I though it will be good and easy to make. 

Here is how I made:

#Strawberry mix yeast water#   Smashed all the 4 ingredients by FP               

• Raisin yeast water                20g
• Fresh strawberries              5 pieces
• Fresh lime juice                  2 drops
• Honey                                 27g   

After taking out the yeast mixture from the FP ----Total 160g  

Ingredients:

 Levain

•    Strawberry mixed yeast water         160g 
•     KA AP                                               160g

 Final dough

• Levain  287g ( that was the actual weight from the total levain 320g)
• KA AP  144g
• Butter     72g
• Salt       5.2g
• Sugar    8g

For topping    Some walnuts ( as you like)  or you can use any kind of nuts you like ..

 

Method:

1.    Make the levain : leave it at room temperature at 70F for 14-16 hours until tripled.  * strawberry mix yeast will rise well.

*  Note: You can keep it in the refrigerator to adjust for you baking schedule. * I haven't left the dough for more than 4 hours. It may be suffered from sour if you leave it for 24 hours. My point is that not to get the levain hungry

2.  Mix the levain with the final dough: Mix all the ingredients and knead until passing a window pane.

3. Bulk fermentation: 3-4 hours until doubled at 73 F around.   *It fermented faster.

4. Preheat & shape : Preheat the oven at 400F/200℃. Dump the dough in some walnuts or any kind of nuts that you like both sides and flatten the dough as much as you can. .   ** This method for when you use tiny seeds or making crackers!   To make pocky shape with bigger topping, It should be shaped before using the nuts. ***

  Chopping the walnuts...

 Dipping the dough in the walnuts..   That is not for shaping a stick!!  roll the dough until it is 3 mm thick.

  So I cut it into cracker -shape.  I also tried to make a stick .. but it was really hard.. because the big walnut doesn't stay in the dough nicely.. 

 I made holes in the cracker to have some air to make it good texture ( crispier)when I bite.

5. Bake : 380F/ 193℃ for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. Light color crust is not ready to take out of the oven yet. It may not be crispy ...  This oven temperature will be vary depends on your oven.  * If the crackers are not crispy enough even it is cooled, You can bake them again that will be super crispy. 

6. Place them on the rack to cool. When it is completely cool, put melted white chocolate in a ziplock and cut an edge like a triangle shape then drizzle it over the crackers.

 I still made the pocky but it was irregular shapes... I will update it when I am succeeded.

  It was the best flavor so far.. 

 

* In summer, This chocolate doesn't firm quickly, so I put them in the refrigerator. I also keep them in the refrigerator too when ants are looking for food in my house !   but, when I put the pocky with chocolate to firm in the refrigerator as soon as I drizzled, the chocolate didn't stick to the pocky. so I recommend to leave the pocky with the chocolate for 20 minutes before putting in the refrigerator.

Next day:  I tried another thin pocky again. Yesterday's crackers above were gone within the day I made. My son shared some of them with his friends.  I felt little guilty to give my daughter the kind of sweets..  Next time, I want to try Pizza pretz !! Thank you for reminding me! :P Great idea, Sue!

  Here is the result:

            

This ingredients are as same as the crackers above.  The method is almost the same with the cracker too except the shaping and   baking methods.

* Shape-  Roll it out until the dough thick is 3 mm around without any topping,and make a string shape, then dipping the string in the topping.

*Bake at 380F for 12-13 minutes until slightly golden brown. 

 

You can use any topping , any kind of chocolate for your taste and convenience.

 

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Happy baking,

Akiko