I love baking and cooking. Seriously. It’s one of my favorite hobbies. I am going to start being vegan again tomorrow, so I figured I should get back into the habit of cooking things. So I made some pasta and sauce, pretzels, and a pepperoni pizza. Ok, the pizza was an impulse buy at Fresh & Easy, a final non-vegan food before I start back up again.

Anyway, here’s a picture.   The recipe is after the break.

Yummiest soft pretzels ever

Yummiest soft pretzels ever

The baking soda step is not to be skipped if you want them to have a classic texture and taste.

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups warm water

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups white flour (or see the variations below)

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups water (for final steps)

1 tablespoon baking soda (for final steps)

Directions:

  1. Combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let rest ten minutes, or until the mixture is nice and frothy.
  2. Add oil, flour, salt, and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is consistent and stretchy.
  3. Divide and roll into long ropes; and shape into a pretzels.
  4. Place on a baking sheet (preferably covered in parchment paper) until doubled in size.  Make sure you leave enough room between the pretzels so they can expand.  The recipe says 45 minutes, but use your best judgement.  My secret tip is to turn the oven on for a few minutes to let it warm up to around 100 degrees, and then I put them in there for a while.  I use the time to clean up, make another dish, or just watch TV.
  5. Now, preheat the oven to 450ºF.
  6. This is the important step to getting that authentic outside crust. Bring water and baking soda to a boil. I submerge the pretzels in the mixture for about a minute each, but you can also liberally brush the hot water and soda onto each pretzel.  Right after removing from the pan or brusing the pretzels, sprinkle with kosher salt, or whatever topping you choose.
  7. Finally, bake at 450ºF for 10-15 minutes, depending on how soft you want the inside and outside.
  8. Now, prepare your taste buds and stomach for an authentic, delicious, amazing pretzel.

Yield: 6-8 giant pretzels. Or 12 smaller pretzels for pot lucks and house guests.

Variations:

  • Use half whole wheat flour and half white flour for a healthier (and heartier) pretzel.
  • Sprinkle on a lot of cinnamon for a dessert pretzel, maybe even adding icing if you’re going for a real treat.
  • I have heard, but never tasted, pretzels with some strange combinations of toppings.  It has a bagel-like flavor and texture, so maybe you can try bagel toppings, like “everything” or onion.

Enjoy!