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. You can use either water or milk for the liquid in the Dough, although milk will typically produce a softer crumb. This recipe should make 16 Pretzels.
Ingredients:
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Dry Ingredients
6 Cups (720 Grams) All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons (14 Grams) Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon (9 Grams) Instant Yeast
2 Teaspoons (11 Grams) Table Salt
Wet Ingredients
16 oz (450 Grams) Warm Water or Warm Milk (105° to 115° F.)
Additional Ingredients:
About 3 quarts of water
2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
Course Grind Kosher Salt
3 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.
Divide the Dough into 16 equal Dough-balls. Each one should weigh about 75 grams.
Mix the Baking Soda and Water into a pot.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450° F.
Roll each Dough-ball into a long Dough Rope, 12 to 18 inches in length.
Loop each Dough 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 45 seconds.
NOTE: Leaving the Pretzels in the Baking Soda Water too long will result in a metallic flavor.
Dry each Pretzel when it comes out of the Baking Soda Water, then sprinkle with Course Grind Kosher Salt.
Bake the Pretzels
Cover 2 sheetpans with parchment paper.
Arrange the Pretzels on the sheetpans so that they are not touching each other.
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.
