Soft Pretzels Recipe

A lot of my baking stems from cravings that I suddenly get or they’re inspired by food I stumble across on the internet. Recently I had a strong urge to make soft pretzels as it didn’t seem difficult to make and I already had all the ingredients. The initial batch of soft pretzels that I made were a hit but I personally found them a bit salty. I also found the dough lacked the softness and flavour needed to take it to the next level. I continued looking for a better soft pretzel recipe and I think I may have found the winner! I combined some of the techniques used in the other pretzel recipes with this one and the result was a golden, soft, and savoury pretzel..

Oh man and these smell AMAZING! I came home after grocery shopping and I could still smell them before entering our apartment. Needless to say, this recipe has been bf approved 🙂

Let’s talk about how to make them:

First, prepare the dough. I think the secret to this soft and flavourful dough is the use of milk instead of water, and the use of brown sugar instead of white. This made a huge difference for me in my opinion. Knead the dough into a smooth ball and allow to rise for an hour until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes so that it’s easier to work with. Divide the dough into even pieces. I divided mine into an assortment of sizes as I was experimenting with the different sizes.

Once done, roll out each piece of dough into a long skinny strand and form them into a pretzel shape as shown below

Prepare the baking soda and warm water mixture. You will need to soak your pretzels into this mixture for a few minutes to help it develop that infamous brown color and pretzel-y flavour, thanks to the magic of science!

Once done, you’ll notice your pretzels would’ve expanded a little bit. Finish these bad boys off with an egg wash and sprinkle with some coarse sea salt.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown in color. Once they’re out of the oven, immediately brush them with melted unsalted butter to finish them off. BEAUT! Admire how beautiful they look on the outside and the inside 🙂

If you tried this recipe, we’d love to see it! Tag us on instagram @cookingwithteamj!

Soft Pretzels Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• coarse sea salt
• 1 egg + 1 tsp water

Instructions

• 1. Warm the milk in a microwave until it is 110F (warm) Add the yeast to allow it to activate and let sit for approximately 5 minutes
• 2. Add the wet mixture into a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and stir in the brown sugar, salt, 1 cup flour, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Once incorporated, add in the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour. Knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• 3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450F and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Allow to rest for 10 minutes so that the dough will be easier to work with.
• 4. Divide the dough into even pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a thin rope and form it into a pretzel shape.
• 5. Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
• 6. Brush each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
• 7. Bake for 10-12 mins or until golden brown. Finish it off with a brush of melted unsalted butter

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