Thursday, March 12, 2009

Soft Pretzels

Soft Pretzels Ingredients
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 + cups flour

Dipping Solution
1/4 cup baking soda
1 1/2 cups hot water

melted butter

Directions
Dissolve yeast into warm water. Add sugar, then flour & mix well---do not knead as this toughens the dough. Mix just until combined well. Let rise until doubled, at least 20 minutes. Roll into long ropes. Twist into pretzel shapes, then dip into prepared dipping solution (baking soda dissolved in hot water). Place on well-greased cookie sheet and bake at 500°F for 4-6 minutes until golden brown. Dip face of pretzel into melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Our family LOVES these pretzels- they are as good as the soft pretzels you get at Sam's Club. Sorry, no pic right now but next time I make them I will post one! Also, you can subsititue whole wheat- I did about half and half and they were excellent. They did need a bit more time to rise but worked very well.

2 comments:

PandaTears said...

These look good, and easy. But what is the dipping solution for? Does it help the 'crust' or help it raise?

~ kietra ~ said...

To be honest, I am not sure exactly the chemistry behind the solution. They make the outside a little bit more "tough" in comparison to the insides. So I guess it would be more for the crust part.