I have a weakness for soft pretzels. They are my kryptonite, and the thing I gravitate toward at baseball games, festivals, street fairs, malls, Costco, you name it. And yet I'd never tried making them at home. It was time.
When I found this recipe and read the instructions, I had one thought: I've done this before. Ok, no, it wasn't to make pretzels, but it was the exact same method of boiling, then baking. It was to make bagels! That was definitely a comfort as I approached this slightly intimidating pretzel project; I already had experience doing almost the identical thing. And as a result, I already owned a bagel strainer, which would come in handy when making the pretzels.
These pretzels freeze great, so if you don't think you can eat all 16 within two days, I recommend freezing them in Ziploc bags and defrosting one at a time as you have a craving. Just keep in mind that if you choose salt as your topping, the salt will get soggy and absorb into the top of your pretzel once frozen; better to freeze the ones you top with seeds and eat up the salt-covered ones first. Drizzle some yellow mustard on them, and there you have it, the real deal.
Mall shmall. Make soft pretzels at home! Though who am I kidding? The very next time I'm at a mall, I'm sure I'll succumb to the kryptonite.
Soft Pretzels
Adapted from a recipe by King Arthur Flour
Makes 16 pretzels
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups room-temperature water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons sugar or non-diastatic malt powder (King Arthur Flour sells this!)
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
6 cups water
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
sesame seeds, poppy seeds, pretzel salt, or other topping of your choice
If using active dry yeast, combine the sugar, water and yeast in a large bowl or stand mixer, and stir until dissolved. If using instant yeast, there's no need to mix these ingredients together first; simply add them directly to the bowl like the other ingredients. Add in the white whole wheat flour, malt/sugar, salt, and all-purpose flour. Only add as much all-purpose flour as is necessary to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl (the dough should not be sticky). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, knead well, place in a greased bowl, and turn over in the bowl so both sides of the dough are greased. Cover the bowl and let rise until doubled in size.
Return the dough to the floured work surface and divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough between your hands until it is a pretty lengthy log, then lay it on the board and shape into a pretzel. Repeat until all 16 pretzels are shaped.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large soup pot, boil the water and baking soda together. To add a pretzel into the water without burning yourself, carefully lay a pretzel onto a bagel strainer, then lower the strainer into the water until the pretzel comes off and floats in the water. The pot will hold 3 to 4 pretzels at a time. Because the pretzels will float to the top, boil for 30 seconds, then turn the pretzel over to boil for another 30 seconds on the other side. Using the bagel strainer, transfer the boiled pretzel to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Leave enough space between the pretzels on the baking sheet to account for them growing in the oven. They will puff up in all directions and you don't want them to stick to each other!
Beat together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water to create an egg glaze. Brush the glaze on the pretzels and sprinkle with your topping of choice. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until the tops of the pretzels are golden brown.
Step-by-Step in Pictures
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in water, then add the white whole wheat flour, salt, malt/sugar, and some of the all-purpose flour...
Continue to add all-purpose flour until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl...
Knead the dough on a floured work surface, then place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled...
Divide the dough into 16 pieces...
Shape each piece into a log...
Then shape the log into a pretzel...
Place a pretzel on a bagel strainer and carefully lower the strainer into the boiling water...
Boil for 30 seconds on each side...
Strain excess water from the pretzel as you transfer it from the pot to a baking sheet...
Brush with an egg glaze, then sprinkle with seeds or salt...
Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-14 minutes, until golden brown...
Try not to eat all 16 at once. Enjoy!
Makes 16 pretzels
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups room-temperature water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons sugar or non-diastatic malt powder (King Arthur Flour sells this!)
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
6 cups water
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
sesame seeds, poppy seeds, pretzel salt, or other topping of your choice
If using active dry yeast, combine the sugar, water and yeast in a large bowl or stand mixer, and stir until dissolved. If using instant yeast, there's no need to mix these ingredients together first; simply add them directly to the bowl like the other ingredients. Add in the white whole wheat flour, malt/sugar, salt, and all-purpose flour. Only add as much all-purpose flour as is necessary to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl (the dough should not be sticky). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, knead well, place in a greased bowl, and turn over in the bowl so both sides of the dough are greased. Cover the bowl and let rise until doubled in size.
Return the dough to the floured work surface and divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough between your hands until it is a pretty lengthy log, then lay it on the board and shape into a pretzel. Repeat until all 16 pretzels are shaped.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large soup pot, boil the water and baking soda together. To add a pretzel into the water without burning yourself, carefully lay a pretzel onto a bagel strainer, then lower the strainer into the water until the pretzel comes off and floats in the water. The pot will hold 3 to 4 pretzels at a time. Because the pretzels will float to the top, boil for 30 seconds, then turn the pretzel over to boil for another 30 seconds on the other side. Using the bagel strainer, transfer the boiled pretzel to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Leave enough space between the pretzels on the baking sheet to account for them growing in the oven. They will puff up in all directions and you don't want them to stick to each other!
Beat together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water to create an egg glaze. Brush the glaze on the pretzels and sprinkle with your topping of choice. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until the tops of the pretzels are golden brown.
Step-by-Step in Pictures
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in water, then add the white whole wheat flour, salt, malt/sugar, and some of the all-purpose flour...
Continue to add all-purpose flour until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl...
Knead the dough on a floured work surface, then place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled...
Divide the dough into 16 pieces...
Shape each piece into a log...
Then shape the log into a pretzel...
Place a pretzel on a bagel strainer and carefully lower the strainer into the boiling water...
Boil for 30 seconds on each side...
Strain excess water from the pretzel as you transfer it from the pot to a baking sheet...
Brush with an egg glaze, then sprinkle with seeds or salt...
Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-14 minutes, until golden brown...
Try not to eat all 16 at once. Enjoy!
