Homemade Soft Baked Pretzels
I’m from Philadelphia, also known as the “City of Brotherly Love”. But even with all of that love filling up the room, there’s a laundry list of things that we don’t play about, and at the top of that list are our cheesesteaks and our pretzels. With that being said, I’m sure you can imagine my hesitancy in attempting to make soft pretzels at the house.
And yet, here we are.
Lately I’ve been researching and trying a lot of different recipes. Some completely tanked, and others were an absolute success.
For me, it’s more about trying something that I didn’t think I could do and seeing it through to the finish.
Jump to RecipeI made the dough in a bread machine, and I followed the manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t have a bread machine, you can check out the one I recommend HERE. Once the dough was ready, I flattened it out using my hands (I probably should get a rolling pin).
After flattening the dough, I cut it into 15 strips, then rolled each strip into ropes approx. 8 inches long. I wanted mini-pretzels, but if you want them to be larger, you can cut them into 8 strips instead.
I brought the two ends together and crossed them at the top, before bringing them down to the bottom to form the pretzel shape.
I brought 3/4 cups of baking soda and approx. 2 quarts of water to a boil, and dropped them in for 30 seconds (flipping them over after 15).
I lined my baking ban with parchment paper and spread the pretzels out before brushing them with egg wash and sprinkling them with salt.
You definitely don’t want to substitute the coarse salt. I didn’t have any on hand so I used the Morton’s Fine Sea Salt, and I could definitely tell the difference.
I baked the pretzels in a preheated 450° oven for about 10 minutes. Once they were done, I brushed them with melted butter.
For that soft, chewy, melt in your mouth taste, I definitely recommend serving them right out of the oven while they’re still warm. If you have to reheat them later, just pop them in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
For this being my first rodeo, the pretzels turned out really, really good.
To take this tasty treat over the top, I heated up my favorite cheese dipping sauce. The saltiness of the bread mixed with the spiciness of the cheese was definitely fire.
“It’s better to try and fail, than to never know and always wonder.”
-Unknown
Homemade Soft Baked Pretzels
Equipment
- Bread Machine
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Active dry yeast
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 7/8 cup Water
- 3 tbsp Butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup Baking soda
- 1 Egg
- 2 tbsp Coarse salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bread machine, with the exception of the baking soda, egg and coarse salt. Make the dough according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Preheat your oven to 450°.
- Once the dough is ready, flatten and divide into 15 pieces.
- Roll each piece into an 8" rope, then form your pretzel shape.
- Bring 2 quarts of water and the baking soda to a boil. Add the pretzels and boil for 30 seconds, flipping them over after 15 seconds.
- Place the pretzels on a paper towel and lightly pat dry.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper, and add your pretzels.
- Lightly beat your egg, and brush the egg wash over your pretzels before sprinkling them with coarse salt.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes. After taking them out of the oven, brush the pretzels with melted butter. Serve warm with your favorite cheese and enjoy.
Until next time…
mjr.
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