When you bite into a homemade pretzel and get a rush of memories flooding through your head, you know you’ve done something right.
First time making pretzels, not the last. I followed the recipe to the point, but i felt the dough was way too sticky, so i increased the flour by 1/2 cup and it turned out great. I used Bread Flour for a chewier pretzel but you can use All Purpose Flour, you’ll get a doughier pretzel. Its a preference.
I love spreading Roquefort cheese on my pretzels but you can dip them in cheddar cheese, coat them with cinnamon sugar, butter them, seed them, whatever floats your bubble.
Notes: I don’t have lye, and i won’t use lye even if i have it. Also i don’t know where to find barley malt syrup so brown sugar had to do.
Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp active yeast i used instant
- 2 tbsp brown sugar i used soft light brown
- 3 tbsp melted cooked butter
- 5 cups bread flour Recipe calls for 4.5
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 cups water for the baking soda bath
- 1/2 cup baking soda aka sodium bicarbonate
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup mixed seeds i used poppy seeds
- Coarse salt
Instructions
- In a bowl combine warm water, yeast, and brown sugar (you can use a stand mixer but I kneaded by hand)
- Let them sit until it’s frothy (8-10 mins)
- Add the butter, flour, and salt. Knead for 5 mins by mixer or hand
- Shape the dough into a ball, placed in ao greased bowl, cover with towel and let rise for 45 mins (or until doubled)
- To save time, in a pot combine the water and baking soda. Bring to a proper boil and heat oven to 230 C
- Whisk the egg with 1tbsp water and set aside
- Cut your dough after it rises into 8 sections (or more depending on the size you want)
- Don’t flour your surface too much, roll out the section into a rope, make a U Shape, twist the ends over pressing them into the bottom of the U (YouTube it)
- Drop the pretzels ONE BY ONE into the boiling water for 30 seconds each. Drain well with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that’s lightly brushed with oil (do it, don’t skip the oil)
- Brush the boiled pretzels with the egg wash, sprinkle with salt, seeds, whatever you want and bake for 10-15 mins until they brown
