HOMEMADE SOFT CHEWY PRETZELS

WHO WANTS A BUTTERY PRETZEL?

Today has been a windy, cold day! A great day for baking bread. I decided to try a new soft Pretzel recipe, and they turned out yummy and fabulous. In fact, I tried two different pretzel recipes. One with a homemade dough, and the other with Rhodes Roll dough. I wanted to see if there was a huge difference in taste & texture. The homemade dough, made with bread flour is slightly chewier, and a bit sweeter. The Rhodes Roll dough, is also very good. Keep in mind, that I boiled both pretzels before baking, which leads to a chewier texture. Hands down, the homemade pretzels win, but if you are in a hurry, the others will certainly be eaten very quickly!

PRETZELS LIKE THE MALL
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup Bread flour
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons coarse Kosher salt
Parmesan, seeds, etc.
 MY DIRECTIONS:

Once the shaped pretzels have risen to double in size, I then boiled them for 30 seconds on each side. I then took them out of the boiling water, and drained them on a wire rack for a few minutes. I placed them on a greased cookie sheet, then brushed the tops with beaten egg. I then sprinkled Kosher salt, and Sesame seeds on the top. I placed them in a 375 degree oven. I put both cookie sheets in the same time, but swapped the position – half way through the baking time. When they came out of the oven, I brushed the tops with melted butter, and put Parmesan on half of them. In my oven the baking time was about 14 minutes total. Delicious!
DIRECTIONS:
(The recipe as written)
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer with the dough paddle). Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.
Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an deep pot. After dough has risen to double, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt, cinnamon sugar, seeds, or your choice of toppings.
FAST and SIMPLE 
 DELICIOUS PRETZELS
12 Texas size Rhodes roll dough
You can thaw as many as you need
DIRECTIONS:

Thaw the rolls, on a greased plate or baking dish. (I actually defrosted mine in the microwave, but watch the dough carefully) Once the rolls have risen slightly, roll each ball of dough into a pencil thin rope. Shape into pretzel, and place on greased cookie sheet to rise. Cover & Let rise until double in size. Once the pretzel is ready, place in a deep pot of boiling water, 30 seconds on each side. Remove promptly to a wire rack to drain. Brush the tops with beaten egg, and sprinkle with Kosher salt, and any other toppings you desire. I baked mine in the center of the oven, so that the seeds didn’t get too brown. After removing from the oven, place on wire rack, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle Parmesan over the tops, if desired. EAT!
  • Lei - 10/01/2011 - 2:04 pm

    Hi! Since I don’t have Rhodes Rolls on hand most of time, I was wondering if I could use the homemade dough recipe to replace the Rhodes Roll used in your recipe for “pretzel bites” ?ReplyCancel