This is a recipe for pretzels I first saw on Good Eats it may seem labour intensive...I mean, a fifteen minute drive to the mall yields a hot fresh pretzel as well..but hey, it's raining...and where's the fun in that!?
Historically, pretzels were immersed in a bath of water and lye and there are several recipes on line tha still call for a lye bath in the process of pretzel making. Here, the lye bath is replaced a safer and easier baking soda boil and this step cannot be skipped. The boiling process is what gives pretzels their distinctive chewy texture and crust.
Also, the Good Eats recipe linked calls for pretzel salt. I could not find any where I live, and have to admit, did not look very hard, I used coarse salt in its place with excellent results on the fresh pretzels.
The pretzels are best hot and fresh as the salt has a tendency to dissolve in storage in a container (perhaps the pretzel salt doesn't do this!)- but if you are not salting them, you may have better luck with storing them. These also freeze well and reheat in the oven or microwave for a hot, fresh pretzel whenever the craving hits.
Good Eats Soft Pretzels
As seen on Alton Brown's Good Eats
Note: If you'd like to see the recipe without photos please click the link below for Printable Recipe.
Yield: 8 Pretzels
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Coarse salt
Directions
Start with warm water, sugar, salt and 1 package of active yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow yeast to proof in the water for 5-7 minutes or until foamy.
Add flour and melted butter.
Start your mixer (fitted with the dough hook) on low speed until fully combined. Crank the mixer up to medium and allow dough to knead for 5 minutes.
Remove the dough from the mixer bowl, oil the bowl lightly with about 1 tbsp oil and place the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
Once dough has risen...heat oven to 450 degrees. Place on your work surface and cut into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a 24" 'snake'. Bend each 'snake' into a "U" and cross arms over and down to make the pretzel shape, pressing the ends lightly to seal.
Place formed pretzels onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
In a very large pot, bring water and baking soda to a rolling boil.
Using a large flipper lower pretzels 1-2 at a time into the water and boil 1 minute. Remove with same flipper and place back on cookie sheet. (Do not skip this step!)
Once all pretzels have been boiled, brush with egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water). Sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt and/or garlic powder.
Bake pretzels at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until firm and golden brown! Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before serving!
Start with warm water, sugar, salt and 1 package of active yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow yeast to proof in the water for 5-7 minutes or until foamy.
Add flour and melted butter.
Start your mixer (fitted with the dough hook) on low speed until fully combined. Crank the mixer up to medium and allow dough to knead for 5 minutes.
Remove the dough from the mixer bowl, oil the bowl lightly with about 1 tbsp oil and place the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
Once dough has risen...heat oven to 450 degrees. Place on your work surface and cut into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a 24" 'snake'. Bend each 'snake' into a "U" and cross arms over and down to make the pretzel shape, pressing the ends lightly to seal.
Place formed pretzels onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
In a very large pot, bring water and baking soda to a rolling boil.
Using a large flipper lower pretzels 1-2 at a time into the water and boil 1 minute. Remove with same flipper and place back on cookie sheet. (Do not skip this step!)
Once all pretzels have been boiled, brush with egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water). Sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt and/or garlic powder.
Bake pretzels at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until firm and golden brown! Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before serving!
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