The Soft Pretzel

There are a few snacks that I enjoyed with my parents growing up, and yes, one of them is popcorn, however there is something that my Dad and I really enjoyed, and that was the soft pretzel. We would make these store bought pretzels throughout the week, typically heating them up in the oven, however the microwave only takes thirty two seconds. Go figure. This is a snack that I have handed down to my kids, and they love it as well.

I have always been curious if I could make the pretzel, and because yeast packets were on sale a couple of weeks back, I decided to do just that, master the pretzel. The flavor was better than the store bought pretzels, the aroma was inviting, and the process was pretty interesting.
Making the dough is just like making the pizza dough I’ve written about in the past, let the yeast and water dissolve and get bubbly, then add the dry ingredients, let rise, and get moving with the pretzel making.

Ingredients:

• 1 package Active Dry Yeast
• 1 cup Warm water
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 TB Vegetable Oil
• 1 TB Sugar
• 6 TB Baking Soda
• 6 Cups Water
• Course or Kosher Salt

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast into the one cup of warm water. After the mixture becomes fizzy, add 1 1/2 cups of the flour,the oil, and the sugar. Mix for about 3 minutes to make a smooth batter. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and satiny, roughly five minutes. Adding flour as needed to prevent any sticking. This does get a bit sticky, but keep on trucking. Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn over to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, roughly one hour.

When you are ready, punch down the dough, take it out onto a floured board, and divide the dough into 12 pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball by gently kneading then roll each into a smooth rope about 16 inches long, and twist into a pretzel shape. Place slightly apart on a greased baking sheet turning loose ends underneath. Let the dough rise once again, until nice and puffy, approximately 20 minutes.

During this time bring the soda water to a boil in a non-alumninum pan. Adjust the water to keep water gently boiling. With a slotted spatula, lower one pretzel at a time into the pan. Let simmer for for only 10 seconds on each side, then lift from water,drain briefly on spatula, and return to baking sheet. Let dry briefly, then sprinkle with coarse salt and let stand, uncovered, until all the pretzels have been simmered.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Enjoy the aroma. Transfer them to racks and get ready to eat. There are plenty of ways to enjoy these. My favorite is with mustard and squeeze cheese, yes, I said it, squeeze cheese. Other ideas are to sprinkle cinammon and sugar on them after the simmer process, serve with warm butter or garlic butter for that matter. If you are looking to wrap or store these, be sure to store in a cool place, in an airtight seal, and freeze. To reheat them, place the frozen pretzels in a 400 degree oven for roughly 10 minutes.