These pretzels are melt in your mouth, eat about five, delicious on a scale of 1 to delicious. I chose this recipe from King Arthur Flour because I wanted to make a soft pretzel rather than something resembling the hard pretzels you might find at a store. These were best right out of the oven, after I smothered them with butter, and let it sink in for a minute or two. I went half and half with the salt, just in case the salt was too overwhelming. I ended up devouring the pretzels with the salt flakes on them because it took them to the next level, but my brother liked the plain bread and butter pretzel.
Also, as PJ Hamel mentions in her blog post about these pretzels from the King Arthur Flour site, the baking soda bath is crucial for the golden brown appearance. Just dipping the pretzels in the bath is not enough. Have patience, and your pretzels will come out with a beautiful golden brown outside and a soft inside!
Ingredients ~
Dough
2 1/2 cups (298g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant yeast
7/8 to 1 cup (198g to 227g) warm water*
*Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.
Topping
1 cup (227g) boiling water
2 tablespoons (28g) baking soda
coarse, kosher or pretzel salt, optional
3 tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions ~
To make dough by hand or with a mixer: Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl and beat until well-combined. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for 5 to 8 minutes, until it's soft, smooth, and elastic, then proceed to step 4.
To make dough with a bread machine: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Allow the dough to go through its kneading cycle, then proceed to step 4.
To make dough with a food processor: Place the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the work bowl of a food processor equipped with the steel blade. Process for 5 seconds. Add the water and process for 7 to 10 seconds, until the dough starts to clear the sides of the bowl. Process a further 45 seconds, then proceed to step 4.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 30 minutes. Perfect your technique
To make the topping: While the dough is rising, prepare the topping. Combine the boiling water and baking soda, stirring until the soda is totally (or almost totally) dissolved. Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm (or cooler).
Preheat your oven to 475°F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with vegetable oil spray, or lining it with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces (about 70g each).
Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Pour the baking soda/water into a 9" square pan.
Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28" to 30" long), and twist each rope into a pretzel shape. Working with four pretzels at a time, place them in the pan with the baking soda/water, spooning the water over their tops; leave them in the water for 2 minutes before placing them on the baking sheet. This baking soda bath will give the pretzels lovely golden-brown color.
Transfer the pretzels to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.
Tips from our Bakers
To make sweet pretzel bites: Roll the eight pieces of dough into 10" ropes. Cut each rope crosswise into 6 to 10 equal pieces. Dip the pieces into the baking soda solution, place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and top with pearl sugar, if desired. Bake in a 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oven; if they haven't been topped with pearl sugar, roll the bites in melted butter (about 6 tablespoons should do it). Then shake in a paper bag with 6 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar.
To make savory pretzel bites: Roll the eight pieces of dough into 10" ropes. Cut each rope crosswise into 6 to 10 equal pieces. Dip the pieces into the baking soda solution, place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and top with pretzel salt or sea salt. Bake in a 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and roll the bites in melted butter; about 6 tablespoons should do it.
Recipe From: King Arthur Flour
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