Cooks' Books by Lisa Messinger

"The Pretzel Cookbook: A New Twist on Everyone's Favorite Snack" by Priscilla Warren (Running Press, $14.95)

As baseball season breezes along, "The Pretzel Cookbook" should be as warmly welcomed by pretzel lovers as a warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven sample of their favorite snack. At the same time, the collection of more than 100 recipes can rectify an irony for those fans: Although millions have loved pretzels for more than 1,200 years on the planet, only a few have gone to the effort to make them at home.

This is the best of the batch of books that covers running these bases. Out for a few years, in some spots it's available new and others at overly generous prices used.

Sure, many of those same pretzel fans' bookshelves are filled with tomes on cookie-creating, muffin-making, bread-baking and other such pursuits, but pretzels for the majority are relegated to a treat we nosh on at ballparks and eat from little paper sleeves as we trek through shopping malls.

New York City-based caterer Priscilla Warren saw no reason why we shouldn't enjoy baking a batch of beautiful pretzels as much as we enjoy eating them.

And beauties these most definitely are. For every creative version you may have spotted at a mall food court (which often sell about three different kinds), you get dozens here. It is truly a pretzel-lover's heaven divided into three sections:

Simple varieties include toppings such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, sunflower seeds and garlic.

Parmesan cheese, Italian herbs, chocolate, cinnamon and butterscotch are among flavors that can be mixed into batter.

Sweet fillings comprise chocolate-raspberry-mint, chocolate-espresso cream and chocolate-Irish cream.

There is also an entire chapter on using alternative flours and grains, such as whole wheat, bran and soy.

Warren also includes exotic dips for your delights and lots of desserts you can prepare with either homemade or store-bought pretzels, such as fudge, pretzel lemon squares and chocolate marshmallow-dipped pretzels.

The author is an excellent teacher, and she covers all the bases to prepare the treats, which are no more difficult than preparing yeast bread at home and take no longer to bake (usually just 15 minutes) than a batch of cookies or brownies.

Your most difficult — and delicious — question just may be how long to let your prized pretzels cool. Will you be able to wait the 5 to 10 minutes Warren suggests, or will you make a grab before that?

JALAPENO PEPPER AND JACK CHEESE PRETZELS

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (100 F to 115 F), plus more if needed

4 tablespoons light brown sugar (divided use)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 1/2 cups minced jalapeno pepper, or to taste (see note)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup hot water

1 egg, lightly beaten

Yields 6 large pretzels.

In large mixing bowl, combine yeast, 1 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.

Let mixture sit for 5 minutes. When yeast is foamy and smells like bread, it's active and you can move on with the recipe. This is called proofing yeast or making sure it is still active. Remember: Warm water is between 110 F and 115 F. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast; if it is not warm enough, it won't awaken the yeast.

Add remaining brown sugar and mix until well incorporated.

Add flour, salt, 1 cup of the cheese and 1 cup of the jalapeno and mix until the mixture forms a smooth dough. Place dough in a bowl sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator.

Punch dough down, then turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and with a sharp knife or dough scraper cut it into 6 pieces, which should bake out to pretzels that are about 6 to 7 inches wide. Use your hands to roll each piece into a rope that is about 24 inches long and 2 inches thick.

Place pretzels on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature for 45 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine baking soda and hot water in a bowl. Dip the risen pretzels in the baking soda bath, then return them to the baking sheet and brush them with egg. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and jalapeno.

Bake pretzels for 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before eating.

Note: Experts recommend wearing rubber gloves when handling chiles and not touching your eyes during or afterward.

HERB BUTTER PRETZEL DIP

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Yields about 1 cup.

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes. Add herbs and stir well.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "After-Work Gourmet" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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