Pretzels by DK on Jul 14, 2008
I have been meaning to make the past Daring Baker Challenges - the ones I missed. I had also been wanting to make the American FavouritePretzels for a long while and keeping that in mind, when I saw that the Daring Bakers started with a Pretzel, I was ecstatic. Both goals at one go isnt it? :). So i took the recipe from Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice and although mine was nothing like hers, it still made a good learning for me :)
I try to avoid lots of salt in our food since its not good for the health so I skipped the salt topping for all the pretzels in this recipe ( yes! I know! I heard you screaming that goes with Pretzels well, I made 3 out of 8 with salt to keep up the tradition and sprinkled the rest with some yellow colored sugar :) :) ) Here is the recipe verbatim from Ivonne
- Cook time:
- Prep time:
- Yields: Makes 8 pretzels
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) instant yeast
- 1 cup warm water (you may need a little more)
- For the pretzel topping:
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tsp. sugar
- kosher salt
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Method
1.
Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl with your hands.
2.
Work the ingredients together until you can form a ball. If the dough is very dry, add a bit more warm water until it comes together. The dough will look messy, but don’t worry about it. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and begin kneading by pushing the dough away with the heel of your hand, and then folding it back in onto itself. Push the dough away again and then fold back in. Continue this motion, working the dough until it’s smooth. This should take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a mixer with your dough hook for 5 to 6 minutes).
3.
Once the dough is done, sprinkle some flour on the dough and put it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
4.
It will rise considerably.
5.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and set aside.
Divide your dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a long rope that’s roughly 24 inches in length. (Don’t make it too long or your pretzels will be too thin.)
6.
Taking hold of the ends of the rope, cross the rope over itself to form a circle with about 4 to 5 inches on each end that are sticking out. Twist the ends over themselves and secure each end on either side of the pretzel.
7.
Carefully dip the pretzel in the water and then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
8.
Sprinkle the pretzels with the kosher salt and let them rest for about 15 minutes.
Put the pretzels in the oven for 6 minutes, then rotate the trays and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the pretzels so that they don’t burn.
Remove the pretzels from the oven and immediately brush them with the butter. Keep brushing them with butter until you’ve used it all.
9.
Serve the pretzels warm with plenty of mustard or another condiment of your choice.
Enjoy!
Filed Under these categories
- 226 American
- 154 Baking
- 366 Cuisine
- 13 Daring Bakers
- 39 Eggless Breads
- 705 Kid Friendly
- 292 Snacks
- 28 Yeast Breads
Recipe Reference
adapted from the king arthur flour baker’s companion
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2 Member Reviews
By Vardhini on Nov 15, 2010
This was half success and half failure. The pretzels stuck so hard to the parchment paper and I had to slice the bottom to remove the paper. Next time I will grease the pan to see if that helps. Also I had trouble getting a 24 inch rope and the pretzels were small. The taste was good and hence will be trying it again sometime soon.
By Jennifer on Jun 13, 2010
This is a fantastic recipe! I found this recipe through another blog and modified it for my son who has many allergies. No butter, but added raisins and cinnamon and drizzled some icing made of powdered sugar and water. Thanks so much for this! I added my modified recipe to my son's allergy blog:
30 Comments
By Alaa on Jun 24, 2010
Will this taste like soft pretzels?
As I have mentioned in the last line - they came out slightly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside --DK
By hema on Jan 25, 2010
thank u very much for ur tips.... i will try this next time...
By hema on Jan 22, 2010
hai i like pretzels very much.....i tried this, but its very hard and the color not came in pic as u shown...
can u plz give me any tip to came out well...
thank u
Hi Hema, did you brush the butter on top before putting them in the oven? The butter gives it that beautiful color. The hardness could be cos of overbaking..The oven model varies from one to another and hence temp setting of one will give a different result compared to another. So next time you are baking (until u know what temp works for your model) always check your goods halfway of baking. Suppose if it says bake something at 350F for 15-20min, start chking when its like 8 min mark ....You probably might find that yours gets done faster than the prescribed time...Hope this helps --DK
By Jude on Aug 6, 2008
Nice twisting and shaping action you got there. Looks great!
By Lysy on Aug 4, 2008
These look so professional! And thanks for all the tips in the photos too - great entry for BBD
By Arundathi on Aug 3, 2008
dk, cant believe i missed this post. sounds like it came out really well. definitely on my must-try list! :)
By Namratha on Jul 16, 2008
Wow, these pretzels are perfectly done Dhivya, good going! I still haven't had the urge to try the past challenges, I guess it will hit me sometime soon too :P
By bee on Jul 16, 2008
this is wicked stuff. hey d, i've removed the chipin button. now can you get into my site?
By Vanamala on Jul 16, 2008
Beautiful ....
By Aparna on Jul 16, 2008
Your pretzels look delicious. I prefer them without the salt on top as well.
I really need to do the DB challenges before I joined them.
Thanks for the entry.
I really need to do the DB challenges before I joined them.
Thanks for the entry.
By JZ @ Tasty treats on Jul 15, 2008
i've never tried making pretzels before...urs are really tempting, DK!! :-)
By Bhawana on Jul 15, 2008
there is a surprise for you in my blog.
Love-Bhawana
Love-Bhawana
By Divya Vikram on Jul 15, 2008
The pretzels looks pretty Dhiv..This is in my todo list
By Trupti on Jul 15, 2008
Pretzels looks delicious DK
By Laavanya on Jul 15, 2008
DK.. i've been wanting to try my hand at making soft pretzels too.. Yours look perfect! I always eat the jalapeno ones at Aunt Annes.
By kamala on Jul 15, 2008
Looks Pretty Dhivya...I always want to make my own.Thanks for the step by step pics
By Jaya on Jul 15, 2008
Lovely and it looks so deliciuos ..
Although I would tilt towards the Garlic pretzel that used to be our fav while staying in US ..But I guess its good that you have tried making it less salty, good for health purpose ...Great one ..
hugs and smiles
jaya
Although I would tilt towards the Garlic pretzel that used to be our fav while staying in US ..But I guess its good that you have tried making it less salty, good for health purpose ...Great one ..
hugs and smiles
jaya
By Illatharasi on Jul 15, 2008
Pictures are awesome:) It looks delicious!
By Nags on Jul 14, 2008
with ur lovely step-by-step instructions, u have inspired me to try this :) bookmarked!
By shriya on Jul 14, 2008
Absolutely great job you have done here. That's one lovely step by step instructions of pretzel. Love the recipe and the main thing is, it doesn't looks like you've tried it for the first time, very professional. Nice job.
By Divya on Jul 14, 2008
Pretzels look great DK..yummo yummy!!
By Katie on Jul 14, 2008
Wow your pretzels are beautiful! Great photos.
I love your blog :)
I love your blog :)
By Siri on Jul 14, 2008
Wowy! the pretzels look perfecto Dhivs..:)) and they must have tasted divine. wish I was there with you to relish atleast one or two or.. Oh wait, the whole of them *wink*.
Hugs,
Siri
Hugs,
Siri
By Shilpa on Jul 14, 2008
Oh woow...they look awesome DK. I will have to make them sometime.
By Maheswari on Jul 14, 2008
Golden brown pretzels.Looks very good for the firstimer...GG
By Kalai on Jul 14, 2008
My favorites!! Delicious, Dhivi! :) Perfect entry!!
By bhags on Jul 14, 2008
they look yummy...i also made them last week, nice entry for the event
By Cham on Jul 14, 2008
I love pretzels it is really awesome ur buttery pretz !
By Uma on Jul 14, 2008
delicious pretzels..beautiful!
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