Pretzels

Did you know today is National Pretzel Day?  I didn't even know that existed until yesterday, and upon finding out, I decided I would post this recipe for pretzels instead of the one I planned to post today.  (Don't worry, I'll still post it but not until Thursday).  And now, I give you...Pretzels! :)

I love homemade pretzels!  This recipe is similar to the one I posted about a month ago, but Mike and I thought it was actually better.  The previous recipe I posted had sugar in it, giving it a sweeter taste while this one has more of a classic bread taste.  I can't exactly say why I prefer this recipe, I just do.  Go ahead and try them both and let me know which you prefer!

I made the same items with this recipe as the previous one and I've linked to the instructions at the end of this post.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups warm water (about 100 degrees)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package dry rapid rise yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (or kosher salt), for topping

1.  Combine the warm water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until the yeast gets foamy.

2.  Add the flour, salt, and butter to the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook on your mixer, combine the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and appears shiny, roughly 4 to 5 minutes.

3.  Cover dough and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

4.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with non-stick spray. Set aside.

5.  In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a roiling boil.

6.  Shape dough into your desired form.  See links below for instructions for pretzel dogs, mozzarella pretzel bites, and pretzels.

7. Boil the shaped pretzels in the baking soda water for 30 seconds each. Using a slotted spatula, remove each pretzel on the parchment lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with any desired toppings.

8. Bake at 450 until golden brown, roughly 14 to 15 minutes. 

To make these pretzel bites, simply roll pretzel dough into a long rope and cut into bite sized pieces.

Pretzel Dogs

Mozzarella Pretzel Bites

Pretzels

Adapted from Kitchen Belleicious