Snackaholics Anonymous: Soft Pretzels

When given the choice between one large meal and multiple small to mid-sized snacks, there is no question that I would choose the snacks. I love to go out for Tapas since you can try lots of different things rather than be forced to look at an already overwhelming menu and choose from it, one item that you think you might like.

Which is why, when I'm not dining out, cooking well-rounded meals or trying out new recipes that I've clipped from magazines or other blogs, I'm usually most likely to be found ordering delivery from Tasti Delite or making a meal out of a box of Kashi Crackers and some sharp cheddar. When it comes to snack foods though, pretzels are and always have been my go-to for a quick nibble that you can either eat straight from the bag without doing too much diet-damage or take on the go for unexpected cravings.

And with that said, you haven't eaten a pretzel until you've eaten one of these pretzels. These would be a perfect game day snack dipped in mustard or served with some sharp cheese.

I'll admit that this isn't the easiest recipe I've ever made but theyre well worth it and really bear no comparison to the rubbery soft pretzels you can get from baseball concession stands and movie theaters.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 tsp active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/3 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp baking soda
1 cup hot water (as hot as your tap can get)
Sea salt

Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast into water with a pinch of sugar, let stand 10 minutes, until the mixture is creamy colored. Mix the yeast mixture with flour, sugar, salt and canola oil, and knead until combined. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the dough has risen, pinch off a handful and roll it out into a long strand. Set aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough, about 6 times. Once all the strands are rolled out, pick up the first one and stretch it out again (the gluten will have relaxed and it should stretch further now).

3. Working one at a time, twist each strand into a pretzel shape and place it on a baking sheet lined with silipat or cooking spray. Repeat with the rest of the strands.

4. Dissolve baking soda into hot water and stir until dissolved. Quickly dip each rolled pretzel into the mixture and place it back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle all the pretzels with sea salt, to your preference. Bake for about 8 minutes, until pretzels have browned. Makes six medium-sized pretzels.

The prep time is really not as long as you'd think when you see the magic words "active dry yeast." The only long part is letting the dough rise. But hey, while it hangs out for about an hour, you can use that gift of time to do plenty of other productive things.

The part that took me forever was rolling the dough into strands to make the pretzel shapes. My dough was super dry, so patience is definitely a virtue here - but a virtue that will be well worth it when you're dipping hot, fresh pretzels into sweet honey dijon mustard.

Comments

[Food Hunter]

They look yummy. I love soft pretzels.

[Elra]

Oh my, your pretzel look so delicious and tempting. This is going to be my next project.
Cheers,
elra

[Leslie]

I have always wanted to make soft pretzels. Looks yummy

[Heather]

yeah, i love katy's soft pretzels! i make them all the time! yours look lovely :)

[lisa (dandysugar)]

I love soft pretzels, these look great. I have never made them from scratch but, I agree, they make a perfect savory snack.

[VeggieGirl]

I'm snacky too :-)

Love those pretzels!!

[Jessica]

Wow those look really good. I LOVE soft pretzels. With a little cheese, it's a piece of heaven.

[thatShortChick]

I could never replicate the goodness of soft-baked pretzels at home but I totally agree with you on enjoying tapas more.

[Stacey Snacks]

Maris,
Am I the only one who thinks this pretzel looks like something else?
It's late, I should get my mind out of the gutter!

[Amy]

I love soft pretzels! I will definitely have to try these.

[Sandie]

I've always wanted to make homemade, soft pretzels with the kids. This looks like a great recipe to get started---maybe over spring break?

[Joie de vivre]

Thanks so much for visiting my blog! It's always nice to see a new face. :) Your pretzels are calling my name. I've never made them before but I know my boys would love them. Right now I torture them with Schwan's frozen pretzels. I know these would be 1000 times better. I did make my own English muffins last week so I feel ready to conquer pretzels. Thanks for the inspiration!

[alexandra]

I'm going to have to try these. THere is nothing more satisfying than a warm soft pretzel ... This post makes me miss Philly!

[Debbie Davis]

Thanks for the great recipe! Yum! I actually just made a granola mix today!

[Jude]

I'm all about the hot mustard when it comes to warm soft preztels. Yum.

[Jenny]

Oh wow, these are on my to-do list now.

[NC Beachy]

I have made soft pretzels twice, the first time they came out perfect and delicious, the second, not so much. I don't know what I did the second time but they seemed too doughy. Can you leave them in the water too long?

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

The pretzel standard for me is the pretzel vendors in New York. I love the smoky, almost burnt flavor. And you must eat them with mustard!

[magda]

Soft pretzels always, always tempt me. I'm definitely bookmarking this recipe! Seems like a worthy endeavor to at least try them out ...