SOFT PRETZEL RECIPE - WELL SUITED FOR PRETZEL DOGS
I’m a full-time father. In our home you need to find new and interesting things to do all the time. One great activity is cooking together. With two young boys I found that baking is one of the better activities we enjoy as a group and they get to see what they’ve made ...and eat what they create. Take for instance soft pretzels. I’ve been working on this recipe and as I improve it, I’ll repost this article with better modified instructions.
LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES
Let me give you a bit of background. I’ve been at this recipe for weeks now. There were two problems I had immediately upon my first batch which took time to figure out the solution. One was color, my pretzels were white, they didn’t look like
This recipe is bulletproof. The taste is honestly similar to an
I’ve found no matter what recipe I’ve started with over time, the ones that are outstanding or really delicious are the ones using the lye dipping solution, I’ll get to that. I do know I have some keys to making your pretzels come close to the type you taste from
In addition you’ll find this recipe is in fact delicious when used to make pretzel dogs.
THE SECRET TO BAKING A DECLICIOUS SOFT PRETZEL
It is important to understand that a key to a good soft pretzel is the baking soda dipping solution. The baking soda acts as a leavening agent and also helps with that beautiful brown coat of your pretzel. Try this recipe without it and you’ll see a dramatic difference. FYI: Mixing the baking powder in the hot water produces carbon dioxide gas.
ANOTHER SECRET TO THE REAL SOFT PRETZEL TASTE
(optional but strongly recommended – optional lye bath instructions blue)
NOT SUGGESTED WITH CHILDREN PRESENT
Above I mention one secret to the color, texture and taste is the baking soda dip. The ultimate secret ingredient for that final finish to your shiny brown crust and unique pretzel flavor we all know and love is a lye, (a.k.a. sodium hydroxide) caustic bath. Lye not only produces the glossy coating, it improves the taste. For more on this look up the Maillard reaction. But in short what it does is breaks up the gluten in the dough so it caramelizes in the oven. With the caustic bath (lye) you’ll get a shiny brown finish, if you go with only the baking soda dipping solution you’ll get a
The caustic bath is a 4% lye dipping solution. You must wear gloves as this solution is in fact caustic. This means It is corrosive to the hands. Get lye in the your eyes and it can and most likely will blind you. The concern is in handling the lye itself, at 4% dilution, your hands and skin are not at the risk they would be handling the lye itself. Treat this ingredient with great care and responsibility. Keep it far from children. I suggest with children present, stick with my baking soda option. Be careful if you want to try this recipe in with lye. You would need to purchase this item in a pharmacy or online here: http://www.aaa-chemicals.com/. And yes you can buy it in your local hardware store; however you should look food grade lye Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) pellets rated NF/FCC ("National Formulary / Food Chemicals Codex"). Food grade will be in the form of small pellets.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Here is what you’ll need aside from ingredients:
· Oven & Stove-top
· Mixer with dough hook optional but best for results
· Rolling pin – or something like it
· Pizza cutter
· Hard smooth work surface
· Cookie sheet (optional with parchment paper)
· Parchment paper (keeps from sticking to cookie sheet)
· Low walled pot or sauté pan (approx 4 quart will do)
· Tongs or wide strainer ladle
· Metal spoon (if you go with lye dip)
· Rubber gloves (if you go with lye dip)
· Safety glasses (if you go with lye dip)
· Sealable container (if you go with lye dip)
INGREDIENTS
This amount is for a small batch, perfect for your first attempt so you don’t have a lot of waste should things go poorly for you.
· Teaspoon of active dry yeast
· Baking soda (for dipping solution)
· ¼ cup of warm water (same for large batch)
· 1 cup of warm water (or milk)
· Pretzel salt (coarse salt)
· 1/6 cup brown sugar (1/2 cup for large batch)
· 2 ½ cups of flour (six cups for large batch) (occidental is preferred. a.k.a. bread flour)
· Lye
§ 1.5 ounces lye (pellets)
§ 1 quart water
You can double this amount, but keep the same amount of dry yeast. Too much makes your dough unmanageable.
PERFECT PREPARATION STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1. Dissolve your dry active yeast in the ¼ cup of water. Yes, this is a very small amount of water. Give this a couple minutes; let the yeast do its thing.
2. Mix in the additional 1 cup of warm water and 1/6 (or 1/2) cup of brown sugar. (Again for larger batch the amount of this recipe this is a even 1/2 cup. )
3. Add your flour to your mixing bowl. Add your water ingredients to the flour and turn your mixer on to a middle setting, not too fast, not dead slow. This should be done with dough hook or not at all. If you don’t have a mixer with dough hook then you need to mix the dough by hand. Do not knead the dough. Mix it. Kneading makes the dough tough. When it is mixed appropriately the dough should be soft and pliable. It will stretch without breaking. Add small amounts of warm water if the initial amount leaves the dough dry and does not mix all your flour in entirely. Whether mixing by hand or with a mixer and dough-hook you should have result with a soft, flexible dough ball. This is important as it will affect the texture and taste if you get it wrong. The texture will be dense and hard if you get it wrong. They are called soft pretzels for a reason. Also note that if your dough is stil dry, just add more water sparingly until you get a consistency that is tacky to the touch but not sticky.
4. When ready lay your dough out and stretch it just a bit so it has a semi-rectangular shape. No need to be precise. With your rolling pin, roll it out. You should have dough around 15 to 18 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide. The density is about a ½ inch to an inch deep depending on if you put more yeast in. It may stick just a bit to your rolling pin, that’s OK, just be careful and you’ll be fine. Remember it can be tacky but not sticky.
5. Take your pizza cutter and cut a strip of the edge. The strip should be about ¾ of an inch wide. For bigger, thicker soft pretzels go wider. Trial and error will teach you best.
6. Roll out your strip like a long worm you are trying to make longer and longer reaching an approximate length of about 25 inches (referred to as ropes).
7. Take your 25 inch rope and twist into the classic pretzel shape or something else you may desire. To achieve a classic pretzel shape you bow the top with the half circle shape at the top, twist the bottom twice and then take your two ends and bring them back up to the outside edge of your circle on both sides placing the ends of the rope down into the dough. You’ll have fun figuring this out.
8. Lay out your pretzels and give them 20 to 30 minutes to rise. You won’t regret it.
9. You can use some egg whites if you bypass the dipping solution. If you take this option just brush on some egg white and sprinkle the coarse pretzel salt now. Otherwise now is NOT the time for the salt. 
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
1. For pretzels only Start to pre-heat your oven at 500 degrees. If yours goes higher then 550 is needed. If you are making pretzel dogs, go with 475.
2. Take time now to start your boiling water for your dipping solution, when it comes to a low boil, add one teaspoon of baking soda for every one and one half cups of water. Stir in the baking soda for even distribution in the water. How much water you use is up to you and depends on what size of pot or sauté pan you are using. You only need enough to bath your pretzels. Drawing two inches of water off the base of your pan is enough. Dip or place each pretzel in the bath for a solid 15 to 30 seconds. The full 30 seconds is recommended, don’t be afraid of the increased time! Using your tongs or strainer, carefully remove them and place them on a smooth service. They will be hard to handle now. They will appear a bit slimy and slick, without tongs you will not be able to handle them. IMPORTANT: If you put too much baking soda in the water your pretzels will look better, but have a nasty before taste of metal! Go easy on the baking soda.
3. If you go with the addition of a caustic soda dipping solution (lye), here is what to do. Add your 1.5 ounces of lye or 2 table spoons and one teaspoon to 1 quart of warm water. Stir with your metal spoon and after your initial dip in the boiling baking soda bath; now dip for no more than 5 seconds in your lye bath (caustic soda). You should be using tongs while wearing gloves.
4. Sprinkle on your salt.
5. Place your pretzels on your cookie sheet with parchment paper or directly on your wire rack in the oven. If you have a wire rack to place on a cookie sheet this will be even better. If you put them on a wire rack, spray it with a non-stick spray, otherwise you will be scraping the pretzel off the rack with a steel spatula.
6. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes depending on how brown or done you like your pretzels. At a high temperature and a long baking soda dip you’ll find that 10 minutes may do it.
7. Brush on some melted butter (not margarine) for a serious authentic Auntie Anne's finish for taste.
If you are making pretzel dogs, do everything as above in the same order. Here is how you wrap the dog. Take your long rope of dough laid out. Now take your dog and lay it the end of it at the end of your dough rope. Start rolling up the dog in the rope slowly spinning the dog down the strip until covered. I’ll add a photo later.
Yes you do in fact dip the dog in the baking soda bath for up to 15 seconds and the lye bath if desired. Bake for 15 minutes. Have a bowl of mustard or desired condiment and you’ll love it. :)
If you try my recipe, I insist you give me feedback! :) Enjoy!
