St. Henry: July 13 | saints-feast-family

July 13

Saint of the day:
Saint Henry

Patron Saint of the childless, of Dukes, of the handicapped and those rejected by Religious Order

Saint Henry’s Story

As German king and Holy Roman Emperor, Henry was a practical man of affairs. He was energetic in consolidating his rule. He crushed rebellions and feuds. On all sides he had to deal with drawn-out disputes so as to protect his frontiers. This involved him in a number of battles, especially in the south in Italy; he also helped Pope Benedict VIII quell disturbances in Rome. Always his ultimate purpose was to establish a stable peace in Europe.

According to eleventh-century custom, Henry took advantage of his position and appointed as bishops men loyal to him. In his case, however, he avoided the pitfalls of this practice and actually fostered the reform of ecclesiastical and monastic life. He was canonized in 1146.

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-henry/
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=124

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor

Prayer:

Visit

St Henry

(d. 1024, Gottingen, Germany) (Relics: Bamberg, Germany)

Bamberger Dom (Bamberg Cathedral)

Domplatz 5

96049 Bamberg, Germany

*St Henry was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1014-1024. Both he and his wife, St Cunegonde, are canonized saints.

They are buried next to each other at the base of the east choir within this church.

Recipe

Bavarian Pretzels Recipe

These Bavarian pretzels are a very popular snack in Germany! They taste delicious dipped in cheese sauce and are easy to make at home with simple ingredients. This authentic German Pretzel Recipe makes enough for a crowd as an appetizer.

Ingredients

For the pretzels:

1/2 cup milk lukewarm
1/2 cup water lukewarm
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar or malt extract
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp table salt

For the bath:

4 cups water
3 Tbsp baking soda

Topping:

2 Tbsp coarse salt

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment combine lukewarm milk, water, and brown sugar. Stir together with a fork then sprinkle active dry yeast on top. Give it a swirl with the fork and let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
In the meantime melt the butter over low heat, then let cool for a few minutes.
Add flour, melted butter, and salt to the bowl with the yeast and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover bowl with plastic wrap put it in a warm place and let the dough rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
Punch down the dough and divide it into 8 equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into a 16-inch (40cm) long rope, the middle part (about 2 inches or 5 cm) should be bulged to a diameter of about 1.2 inches and the ends should be thinned out to about 0.3 inches (0.75 cm).
Bring the ends together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends together twice then fold them down onto the bottom curve. Press ends into the dough and shape into a perfect pretzel shape.
Let the pretzels rise uncovered for 30 minutes in a warm place.
In the meantime preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C) with a baking sheet inside in the lower third.
Once the pretzels have risen, put them next to an opened window so the surface dries out and the pretzels develop a skin. This step is important for the texture.
Bring 4 cups water in a medium pot to a boil then add the baking soda. With a slotted spoon dip the pretzels one at a time carefully into the simmering water.
Take them out after about 5 seconds and place on a sheet of parchment paper.
Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and cut the dough with a sharp knife about 0.2 inches deep in the thick middle part at the top-back.
Transfer the parchment paper with the pretzels onto the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until nicely browned. You want them to be really brown and not golden.
Remove pretzels from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. If you want them to be shiny brush them with a little bit of melted butter.