Soft Pretzels - from Scratch
June 3rd, 2020
This Recipe creates 8 servings
Prep Time: 01 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
A single serving contains about 480 calories
These Pretzels are easy. It is fun to try and make the "traditional Pretzel knot" with a single hand motion. This recipe should make 16 Pretzels.
Ingredients:
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Dry Ingredients
5 2/3 Cups (680 grams or 24 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Active Yeast
2 Teaspoons Table Salt
Wet Ingredients
13.5 oz (376 grams) Warm Milk (100° to 115° F)
Additional Ingredients:
About 3 quarts of water
2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Course Grind Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
Directions:
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Prep the Dough
In a mixer or large bowl, mix the Dry Ingredients.
Whisk until fully integrated.
Add the Wet Ingredients. Run the mixer at medium speed.
Stop the mixer and use a spatula, as needed, to ensure that all of the Dry Ingredients are integrated with the Wet Ingredients.
Continue to mix until the Dough forms a large ball and cleans the sides of the bowl.
Place the Dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
For best results, refrigerate 24 hours or up to 5 days. This will allow the Yeast to experience an uberslow growth (cold ferment) that results in a much more mature flavor.
Otherwise, cover the Dough with a tea towel and let it rise for about 1 hour.
Shape the Pretzels
Remove from the refrigerator and let the bowl sit on the counter for 2 hours, as it comes to room temperature.
Divide the Dough into 16 equal Dough-balls. Each one should weigh about 70 grams.
Mix the Baking Soda and Water into a pot.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450° F.
Roll each Dough-ball into a long Rope, 12 inches in length.
Loop each Rope into the traditional Pretzel shape.
Boil the Pretzels
Bring the Baking Soda and Water to a boil.
Drop each Pretzel into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds.
NOTE: Leaving the Pretzels in the Soda Water too long will result in a metallic flavor.
Dry the Pretzels.
Bake the Pretzels
Cover 2 sheetpans with parchment paper.
Arrange the Pretzels on the sheetpans so that they are not touching each other.
Sprinkle liberally with Course Grind Kosher Salt.
Set the sheetpan in the shelf in the middle of the oven.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Brush each Pretzel liberally with melted butter and then let the Pretzels cool for 10 or 15 minutes.
Serve with melted cheese dip, Brown mustard, Cinnamon Sugar, or whatever else you like.
