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Two Peas and Their Pod: Homemade Soft Pretzels

Friday, September 12, 2008

Homemade Soft Pretzels



The other night we were watching the Food Network, sometimes it sucks us in:) Well, we caught a Throwdown with Bobby Flay. He went to Philadelphia to challenge "The Pretzel Boys" who are famous for Philadelphia's best soft pretzels. It was fun watching them make pretzels...both recipes looked tasty, but Bobby ended up winning...it is his show:)

After watching, we were inspired to make sof
t pretzels. Something we have never done before. So we set out to find the perfect recipe. After doing some research, we went with Alton Brown's recipe. He usually is a go to guy for a good, standard recipe...and this time he didn't let us down!

We had a good old time making pretzels! The dough was easy to make and rolling and twisting the pretzels was so fun!! We went with the classic salted pretzel and we also did some cinnamon sugar ones for dessert! The pretzels had the perfect texture...golden brown on the outside, a bit chewy, but still soft in the center. YUM! Josh even made a Monterey Jack cheese sauce to go with! I liked the salty and sweet ones. We will for sure be twisting up pretzels again!

Dividing the dough into 8 parts! It is Pretzel Time!


Giving the dough a nice twist!



Bath Time! Boiling water with baking soda!


Sprinkling them with salt!



Golden Delicious!


A super soft and salty pretzel!


Time for something sweet! Cinnamon and Sugar!


Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe
Adapted from Alton Brown

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt or sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Josh's Cheese Sauce

Melt 1/2 T butter in a small pot. Add in 2 T flour and stir. Stir in 6 oz. of shredded Monterey Jack cheese until melted. Add in salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste! Serve with salted pretzels on the side.

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40 Comments:

Blogger Mary Ann said...

Those pretzels look perfect! Thanks for reminding me of something that I have been wanting to make. I want one right now!!!

6:14 AM  
Blogger Prudy said...

We love making homemade pretzels, but I must confess that ours are never ever as pretty as yours.

6:31 AM  
Blogger Kathy Seed said...

Josh & Maria, you have done it again! those look so yummy! Wish i could of had a bite or two. love you, Momma Kathy

6:32 AM  
Blogger grace said...

as someone who gets sucked into the food network often but rarely replicates what she sees, i'm super impressed by this! your pretzels look perfect, and although that cheese sauce sounds yummy, i'm all for the cinnamon-sugar version. :)

6:59 AM  
Blogger Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

You are inspiring me. Your pretzels look so perfect. I can't pass Aunt Annie's in the mall without stopping. This would be a fun thing to make with my girls.

7:11 AM  
Blogger Stephanie said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. Those pretzels look great! I especially like the cinnamon pretzels. Yumm!

7:16 AM  
Blogger Jersey Girl Cooks said...

They look great! I hav ebeen wanting to make pretzels. Another thing for my to do list.

7:47 AM  
Blogger The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

Yum. I remember makign pretzels as a kid with my father. Then there is also the story of my favorite professor getting me pretzels in the rain in NYC. I could go for one now!

7:54 AM  
Blogger Mary Bergfeld said...

What fun! And I love your photos.

8:02 AM  
Blogger Natalie Que said...

Oh yum! We used to make these every once in a while growing up. I kinda forgot about them! This is such a great idea, it can kinda be baking without it being so bad with all of the fat and calories. I need more recipes like that! I LOVE to bake, but then I eat it!

8:25 AM  
Blogger alexandra's kitchen said...

oh wow! I just moved to the West Coast from Philly, where I lived for five years. The whole time I was there, I never ever attempted to make them from scratch. now that I'm here, i miss them so much! I am definitely going to try these. they look perfect!

8:31 AM  
Blogger The Blonde Duck said...

It looks delicious! Alton Brown is our go-to guy too! I love pretzels. Now I'm craving them...

8:40 AM  
Blogger Live.Love.Eat said...

You guys are just too cute! I think it's really awesome you cook together. These pretzels look awesome but the cheese seals the deal for me. Can I make these without the machine/dough hook. I only have a regular food processor. Also, how did you ensure your warm water was exactly the right temp?

10:12 AM  
Blogger CECIL said...

Wow!! I have never thought of making my own pretzel! It looks quite fun. Absolutely will make it one day.

10:55 AM  
Blogger Kelley Flint said...

Yeah, I'm so excited. I've always wanted a good pretzel recipe. And now that I know you like this one, I'm going to have to try it out.

11:04 AM  
Blogger La Bella Cooks said...

I love pretzels, especially the salty ones!

1:39 PM  
Blogger Usha said...

These pretzels look perfect,thanks for the step by step pictures too...

3:03 PM  
Blogger Lisa magicsprinkles said...

Positively perfect pretzels. AB (and you) are right on the money, honey!

5:21 PM  
Blogger Pamela said...

Holy Cow!! Those pretzels look amazing. I have never made them before, as I am sometimes intimidated by such things. I might just give it a shot, though. They were so pretty and golden. Thanks for the comment on my blog!! :o)

6:33 PM  
Blogger Jacque said...

Those look SO good, mmm, wish I had one right now! Those are pretty pretzels, lol.

7:40 PM  
Blogger Maria♥ said...

These Pretzels are perfect and I really love the sound of the Cinnamon ones ;o)

Maria
x

10:57 AM  
Blogger Jessy and her dog Winnie said...

Those look great!! I have made soft pretzels before, it is so much fun! : )

11:39 AM  
Blogger Beth (jamandcream) said...

I want to make pretzels now
!! They look fantastic

2:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very nice work! These look tasty. I know what you mean about food network sucking you in. Lifetime sometimes does that to me with those wacky movies!

3:45 PM  
Blogger Lori Lynn said...

I've never made pretzels. It really sounds like fun to me.

12:10 AM  
Blogger Sylvie said...

w, your pretzels look great. I only ever tried making them once and was nowhere near as successful as you!

2:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is SO COOL!

4:46 AM  
Blogger Pam said...

I have never made pretzels. This would be a fun recipe to make with my kids. Delicious!

7:34 AM  
Blogger Sharona May said...

Looks great. It seems as though they turned out perfect. I would love one with a little mustard.

Sharona May

11:55 AM  
Blogger Lindsey said...

My mouth is watering.

12:02 PM  
Blogger Jessica said...

Homemade soft pretzels are so yummy! I love to bake these with my class in the winter when life in school gets a bit boring!

1:03 PM  
Blogger Leslie said...

Ohhh..I so love soft pretzels! I have ever made them before. Maybe I will get the guts to try them in the near future!!!

5:39 PM  
Blogger Manger La Ville said...

I always was under the impression that making pretzels was really hard. But you made it look easy. I can't wait to try. I love cinnamon one's as well. Yummy!

6:38 PM  
Blogger Steph said...

I've never thought of making my own pretzels.. it's such a great idea!

7:26 PM  
Blogger Dee said...

Ooh, your pretzels look like the real deal! They've been on The List (along with bagels and brioche and...) for the longest time and I can't even remember why I haven't attempted them yet.

Procrastination with a capital Dee, that's what it is!

Beautiful, you both!

3:18 AM  
Blogger Tanya said...

They look awesome! I love soft pretzels!

4:20 AM  
Blogger Clumbsy Cookie said...

Amazing! I adore pretzels and can never get them here! I should try them, you make it look so simple!

3:04 PM  
Blogger Allie said...

Oh wow these look great! I haven't been brave enough to make home made pretzels but it's on my list of things to make.

8:02 AM  
Blogger Satisfying my Sweet Tooth said...

My goal in life, among others, is to perfect the soft pretzel! I LOVE them! Yours look so beautiful and you make it look easy, so I'll give it another attempt with your recipe despite the chuckles I get from my hubby every time.

1:55 PM  
Blogger Rosie said...

Oh wow your pretzels look perfect!

Rosie x

10:44 AM  

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