Fluffy Soft Pretzels
Fluffy, salty pretzels for
Coming up with simple solutions to complicated (or lengthy) recipes is kind of my thing. I love twisting and turning classics using basic and simple processes, making my daily hours in my kitchen a constant challenge. I am a lazy cook, really I am. So I constantly try to find shortcuts and easy fixes to aid in my menu planning. I am sure I break a million cardinal rules of the culinary handbooks, but it makes me fall in love with cooking even more. And this is one of those solutions I want to share with you.
I love using my Basic Dough recipe to simplify my way through bread baking. I recently used this recipe to create these fluffy pretzels. Overgrown, fluffy, buttery and with a beautifully salty crust. You can dip them in melted cheese, tangy mustard, garlic sauce or simply spread butter before each bite.
You will do two simple tweaks to my Basic Dough for these beauties. Swap the oil with butter, this produces a chewier core. And you will need to rise the dough for one hour before shaping the pretzels, then let them rise again a few minutes before giving them their signature pretzel bath. This is an easy and fun recipe, and no matter how you shape them, that soda bath is what gives pretzels the special pretzel flavor.
Fluffy Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup Warm Water
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Dry Instant Yeast
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 3 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour (a bit more for kneading)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Beaten Egg
- 1 Tbsp Baking Soda
- 2 liters Water
- Rock Salt for Sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix warm water, sugar and yeast. Let this mix sit for 5 minutes to let the yeast do its thing. If the mix does not froth, it means the yeast is not viable and you will need to make a new batch.
- Once the yeast becomes frothy add the flour, butter, salt and the beaten egg. Mix everything together until it comes together and pulls away from the bowl.
- Transfer the dough onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Add more flour if it feels too sticky. The kneading will help with that also, so add flour bit by bit to avoid the dough to become tough.
- Now grease the bowl with a bit of olive oil and return the kneaded dough to the bowl. Turn it around a couple of times as to coat it with the olive all over. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
- Punch the dough down and knead again for one minute. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Let them sit for 5 minutes to soften.
- To form the pretzels, roll each dough ball into a rope about 30cms long. Cross the two ends twice and bring the two ends up again towards the center of the pretzel, making sure the tips stick to the pretzel body.
- Place the shaped pretzels on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and let them rise for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan boil the 2 liters of water. Add the baking soda when the water boils. Careful it will fizz! Don't turn of the heat, you want your pretzel bath to always be boiling.
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 400F
- It's time for a bath! Put the pretzels in the water 1 or 2 at a time. Let them float in the boiling water about 30 seconds per side. Take the pretzels out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them back on the baking sheet.
- While the pretzels are still wet, with a sharp knife, cut a small slit on the thick part of the pretzel and sprinkle a bit of rock salt along the slit.
- Bake the pretzels for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are dark golden*.