Soft Pretzels

Pretzels are a yummy snack that I have enjoyed ever since I was a child. I have fond memories of visiting my grandma and great grandma in Ohio and making special trips to a small, local pretzel bakery. The bakery specialized in hard pretzels that lasted weeks. Bags of these crunchy, salty snacks were ever-present throughout my childhood. My grandma kept us constantly stocked for as long as I can remember. An in person visit to the bakery was very special though, because it meant that we could get a big, fresh, soft pretzel to eat right then. The thought of making my own fresh pretzels has often gone through my mind as I have begun to bake more at home. While making my wish list for the blog, pretzels were one of the first projects to be added to the list. I have been waiting for just the right opportunity to make them. Soft pretzels need to be eaten within a day or so of being baked and I needed an occasion where I could share them with a group. Game night at a friend’s house seemed like the perfect opportunity, so I went for it.



I knew that pretzels were similar to bagels, since they are boiled before being baked, but I still didn’t know what made the distinctive flavor and shiny golden brown appearance. Now I know that it is a combination of melted butter in the dough mixture and oiling the dough while rising that makes them unique from other breads.

Similar to most other dough, you start the process by dissolving yeast in warm water. I have had problems in the past with achieving the right water temperature. If the water is too hot, then you will kill the yeast and your dough won’t rise. If the water is not warm enough, it will not activate the yeast and your dough won’t rise. The optimal temperature to activate yeast is somewhere between 105° and 115°F. I decided to start using a digital thermometer to more accurately measure my water temperatures for mixing dough. It takes a lot fo the guess work out of dough mixing and has worked really well.



Here is a slightly revised version of the recipe I used from the JOC. I would highly recommend trying them for yourself!

-Combine in a large bowl and let dissolve:
½ cup of warm water (105°-115°F)
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) of active dry yeast

-Add: 1 ¼ cups of all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups of bread flour
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 tablespoon of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt

-mix by hand (or in a mixer) while adding an additional ½ cup of warm water (105°-115°F)

-Stir well, adding up to ¼ cup of each type of flour additional if needed. The dough should be moist but not sticky. Transfer to a kneading surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. I found that the texture was very similar to that of the bagel dough after kneading.



-Place the dough in a bowl that has been lightly oiled with either vegetable to olive oil.

-Turn the dough over in the bowl a few times to coat the dough with a light layer of the oil.



-Lightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (75°-80°F) for at least an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

-Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide equally into 12 parts. Roll each section of dough into a ball, place on an un-floured work surface, loosely cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let set for about 10 minutes. Grease a large baking sheet.



-Roll each section of dough into a long snake. (about 18 inches) Forming the pretzels takes a little bit of practice. I will try to describe the process, but you really will just have to work with it a few times to figure it out. Lift the dough in front of you, holding one end in each hand, twist the dough around itself, a few inches from each end, then fold over and press the ends into the looped part of the dough.



-Place each pretzel on the greased baking sheet, spaced well. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for about 35 minutes.



-Preheat the oven to 450°F and boil a large pot of water.

-Once the pretzels have risen, boil each one for about 30 seconds on each side, until they are “puffy”.



-Remove from the water and place back onto the greased baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with coarse kosher salt.



-Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

-Remove from the oven and let cool for just a few minutes.



*I made the mistake of trying to remove them from the baking sheet too early and ended up tearing the bottom layer off of a few pretzels. They don’t need to be cooled completely, but waiting until they are no longer hot will enable you to remove them from the baking sheet without tearing them apart. *

You will want to keep these in an airtight container and eat them within a day or so. If you don’t eat them fresh out of the oven, reheating in the oven for a few minutes will soften them up. We enjoyed some dipped in melted cheese, some with mustard, and others simply plain and salted.



For Dad, Grandma Pat, and my Great Grandma Grether.