There's something very important that you should know about Ivy. #1 She's OBSESSED with popcorn. There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't have some. #2 She's only slightly less obsessed with soft pretzels. If we go to the mall (which is all the time now that she's working at Build a Bear) it is understood that we'll be stopping at Wetzel's Pretzels. Period. The end.
But sometimes I don't feel like fighting the crowds and driving around for hours and hours looking for parking. And those frozen pretzels they sell at the grocery store are just not going to cut it. Mommy to the rescue (along with Pinterest). They came out SOOOOO good and they were so pretty I had to photograph them. You want to make them right now, don't you? Here's the link to get your pretzel on.
This is the recipe I followed for these beauties with a few tweaks.
- ⅔ cup baking soda
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 tblsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, divided
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt for sprinkling
1. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the baking soda in a thin layer across it. Bake it for 1 hour. This will change the ph so you can get these dark pretzels without using lye.
2. Mix sugar into warm (105-115 degrees F) and add the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Time to crank your oven up to 425 degrees.
3. Combine flour and salt in bowl of stand mixer with dough hook attachement. On medium-low, add in your milk/yeast mixture. With the mixer running, add in the melted butter. Knead with mixer for 8-10 minutes. This should be a soft dough but firm dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl.
4. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Form the dough into a ball, add it to your large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled.
5. Turn the dough out onto a big enough space that you can roll 36"- 40" ropes. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll them out as long as you can. Make a U shape with your rope, cross it over twice and flip the ends back down on the U to make the classic pretzel shape. Do this 5 more times.
6. Remember that baking soda? Pour it into a 9x13 pan with at least 2 inches of depth and add hot water (about 2 cups) and stir to dissolve. This is where you get that signature pretzel color. Dip each side of the pretzel in the baking soda mix for one minute. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Salt with course sea salt as much or as little as you'd like. Repeat with the other 5 pretzels.
7. Bake the pretzels for 10 minutes until dark, golden brown. If they're not quite there yet, rotate your pan and give them another 2-3 minutes.
Enjoy these warm with whatever dipping sauce you'd like, or just eat them like you made a run to the mall!
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