Soft Pretzels
Dough:
·
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees)
·
2 tbs warm milk
·
2 tbs melted butter
·
2 tbs white sugar
·
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
·
½ cup light brown sugar
·
4 cups flour (plus more)
Parboiling:
·
8 cups (2 quarts) water
·
½ cup of baking soda
Topping:
·
1 large egg
·
Sea salt, kosher salt or pretzel salt
1.
In a glass measuring cup heat water to 110
degrees. Heating water on the stove in a teakettle or using really warm tap
water is best; using the microwave to heat the water isn’t ideal. Use a
thermometer to insure the water is 110 degrees. Yeast needs water that is between 105 and 115 degrees to thrive.
2.
Pour water into the bowl of a stand mixer and
sprinkle the yeast on top. Walk away from the mixture for at least 10 minutes.
You want to yeast to bloom and foam, and it should smell ‘yeasty’
3.
Add the warm milk, melted butter and white sugar
to the yeast mixture and lightly combine with a spoon.
4.
Attach the dough hook attachment to your mixer
and add the brown sugar and turn the mixer on low.
5.
Gradually, 1 cup at a time, add the flour into
the mixer. The goal is for the dough to pull together and climb up the dough
hook. Depending on circumstances you may want to add more flour. Stop the mixer
occasionally and feel the dough- it should not be overly sticky to the touch.
6.
Remove dough from the mixer onto lightly floured
work surface and knead the dough for 2 minutes. Time yourself because this is
an important step, you’re developing the gluten in the dough. If your arms hurt you're doing it right. Use more flour on your work surface to prevent sticking.
7.
Shape the dough into your desired shape: stick, knot or bun. See below for information on how to easily make
each shape. Remember these will rise for a time and then also puff up when
parboiling, so do not make the shapes very large.
8.
Place onto a lightly floured cookie sheet or
cutting board and place in a warm location, generally near the oven with the
oven on warm. Warm is the key word
here, you do not want any direct heat. You can use an upside down pot to place
your cookie sheet/cutting board on so it is not sitting directly on the
stovetop. Cover with clean kitchen towels and let rise for 1 hour.
9.
After an hour, bring 8 cups of water to a boil.
While waiting, prepare your baking dish by either using parchment paper or by
spraying the sheet with nonstick spray. Crack the egg into a small bowl. Also
sit out your pastry brush, a small bowl of salt and a slotted spoon.
10. Preheat
oven to 425 degrees.
11. When
water boils remove from heat and place in the baking soda. Move back to the
heat. You want a continual boil, so keep an eye on the water and adjust your
heat accordingly. If the water foams violently over the top, remove the pot from the stovetop for a moment and turn down the heat.
12. Working
in small groups place the dough into the boiling water. Flip each item after 10
seconds and remove after 10 more seconds. Do not boil for longer than 30
seconds.
13. Lift
from the water and drain all additional water you can by angling the spoon on
the side of the pot. Place on prepared sheet.
14. Work
in small groups until you have a sheet full of parboiled pretzels, then brush
each one lightly with egg and sprinkle with salt.
15. Bake
at 425 for 10 (more or less) minutes depending on which shape you have made, as
the smaller pretzel shapes take less time to bake. (Buns, 23 minutes; Knots, 12 minutes, Sticks, 11 minutes)
16. Remove
from oven when the pretzels have turned a beautiful, rich, deep brown with some
areas of golden brown. Your nose will help you decide when they’re done!
17. Let
cool and enjoy! Store in an airtight container.
Making pretzel shapes:
Knots:
Roll the dough into a long snake using your hands, about 5-6
inches long. If the dough it sticky use extra flour on your hands, as these are
easier to knot if they are not sticky. Make a knot in the snake and place onto
a floured surface to rise.
Sticks:
Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into sticks. These are actually
more difficult to cook than the knots because they have a tendency to break
apart when boiling.
Buns:
Using an amount of dough that nicely fills the palm of your
hand, pull the dough into a ball. Stretching the dough in your hand so the top
is neat and smooth and the ‘ugly’ parts are hidden at the bottom. This isn’t
hard to do but is hard to describe. To make the split top style, slice 1/4 of an inch into the bun after you've boiled it. It will open while cooking.
