Soft Pretzels

If I had to chose one snack to eat the rest of my life, it’d probably be soft pretzels (well maybe goldfish)… but point is, I absolutely love soft pretzels. I’ve been wanting to try making them for months and I decided today was the day! I had several recipes saved but decided to try Candace’s over at I Shot the Chef. I tweaked it a little bit by adding a little more brown sugar and I portioned the recipe different. I’ve posted the recipe as I made it below.

They turned out wonderfully! Thanks Candace!

Soft Pretzels

1 c warm water (110 degrees)
1 package (or 2 1/4 tsp) dry active yeast
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 c flour
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
8 c water
4 tbsp baking soda
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
2 Tbsp kosher salt

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand for 10 minutes to bloom. Add the water/yeast along with the melted butter, brown sugar, salt and 2 3/4 cups of the flour to your heavy-duty mixer and knead dough for about 8 minutes, adding the last 1/4 cup of flour if necessary. You can also do this by hand. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but very uniform and smooth. Place dough in a large oiled bowl, and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled.

2. Punch down, and divide the dough into 18 equal shapes and form them into small balls. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for 15 minutes. Roll them into 10-12″ lengths. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the pretzels to rise for 1/2 hour. Pull lengths longer to approximately 18″ & shape into pretzel shape. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

3. In a medium pot, bring the baking soda and water to a boil. Add the pretzels one at a time to the boiling water for 1 minute. Press down into the boiling water with a spatula. Remove and place on a cooling rack. When cooled, transfer to a parchment lined sheet pan. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle generously with kosher salt and bake for 10-12 minutes, until dark brown.

Candace’s Note: To ensure the dough is thoroughly kneaded, take a small piece and roll it into a ball. With your thumbs, stretch the dough until either it tears or becomes transparent in the center, also known as a window. If you cannot stretch the dough to form a window, knead a little longer.

Yields 18 3″ pretzels

Tagged as: Snacks