Have you decided yet, what to snack on during the Super Bowl? We don’t need a big spread, it will just be two of us, but I want to make it fun. John read in the Washington Post that, with everyone staying home this year, there’s a shortage of chicken wings – so I guess those are off the table. I can always be talked into Queso Dip. But for dunking, I’m over tortilla chips and going straight for Soft Pretzels.
Pillowy on the inside, chewy on the outside, big and buttery and salty, homemade Soft Pretzels are every bit as good as the ones from the pretzel cart, but so easy to make you can have them any time you get a craving.
John likes his with yellow mustard, ballpark style. I prefer either a spicy, creamy queso or marinara sauce zhushed up with a little extra crushed red pepper and oregano to make it ultra tangy.
You can buy salt made specifically for pretzels, but I find coarse sea salt works just fine and it’s something I always have on hand. I’ve tried both a pebbly Fleur de Sel and flakier Maldon, and both were great, providing sparkle and that crystalline crunch every good pretzel needs.
Making these ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Enjoy Soft Pretzels on the day they’re baked. They’re at their very best warm from the oven. If you want to bake them ahead by a few hours, leave them unwrapped at room temperature, then reheat them by wrapping each pretzel individually in foil and warming them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
- Store any leftover pretzels in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature, then reheat as described above.
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (between 105 and 120 degrees)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 cups (17 ounces or 480 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or ¾ teaspoon Morton’s
- Vegetable oil
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 egg yolk
- Pretzel salt, or flaky sea salt such as Fleur de Sel or Maldon
Directions
- Step 1 Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Meanwhile, combine the warm water with the sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk to dissolve the yeast. Set the bowl aside until the mixture develops a thick layer of foam on top.
- Step 2 Stir in the melted butter, then add the flour and salt and use the dough hook to stir the mixture together on low speed until it comes together into a stiff dough. Increase the speed to medium low and knead the dough for 2 minutes, stopping the machine to rearrange the dough if it starts to climb out of the bowl.
- Step 3 Transfer the dough to an un-floured board and knead by hand for 3 minutes. The dough should be firm and not at all sticky, and you should not need to add more flour during kneading. If it seems at all sticky, very lightly oil the board, rather than adding more flour.
- Step 4 Lightly oil a large bowl with vegetable oil. Put the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat with oil, then cover with plastic wrap. Set the dough aside to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Step 5 Heat the oven to 450 degrees. During the last few minutes of the rising time, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the parchment with just a thin sheen of oil. Pour 8 cups of water into a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water in a small cup. Have a spider or a large slotted spoon or spatula standing by.
- Step 6 Add the baking soda to the boiling water and keep the water at a vigorous boil. Transfer the dough to the board and use a bench scraper or a large knife to cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough, roll it under your palms to form a long thin rope, about 24 inches long. To twist the rope into pretzel shape, first bend the rope into a U shape with the ends facing away from you. Take the ends and twist them twice, so you have a circle of dough with the top twisted together like a twist tie on a baggie. Fold the twisted end down, toward you, so the twisted section fills the center of the circle in the middle of the pretzel, and the ends that extend beyond the twisted section drape over the near edge of the pretzel. Carefully slide the first pretzel into the boiling water and boil for exactly 30 seconds, then use the spider to transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, twisted side up.
- Step 7 Shape the next pretzel. Once you get the hang of the process you should be able to work quickly enough to shape the next pretzel while the current one is boiling, or at least get it almost done. Work in whatever rhythm works for you until all pretzels are boiled and transferred to the baking sheet, spaced evenly on the sheet. Just make sure to watch carefully while the pretzels are boiling and don’t let them go longer than 30 seconds each.
- Step 8 Brush the pretzels with the egg wash and sprinkle them generously with pretzel salt or sea salt. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until the pretzels are puffed, shiny, and deep brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes before serving.
