So my family has an odd obsession with pretzels. It’s a staple in our lives and my favorite kind of pretzel is from Auntie Anne’s. Every time I go to the mall at home, I know where my first stop is going to be. Over break, I decided to try and recreate those delicious pretzel bites. Keep on reading to find out how it went.
This week: Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 T sugar
- 2 t salt
- 1 package yeast
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 2 oz butter or lard, melted (I used butter because it sounded more appealing)
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Making the Dough
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. First, warm the water to about 115 degrees (no hotter—you don’t want to kill the yeast).
3. Add sugar and yeast to water, and let the yeast liven up and start foaming (takes about 5 minutes).
4. Add flour, lard (or butter), and salt and mix thoroughly until a dough is formed.
5. Knead the dough for approximately 15 minutes (I had my brother do that for me).
6. Place dough in oiled bowl, cover, and let the dough rise until doubled (about an hour).
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Making The Pretzels
1. Once the dough is ready, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the boiling water.
2. Divide dough into 8 equal portions.
3. Roll each ball of dough into a long rope (Make sure the counters are clean).
4. Twist the dough rope, then cut it into tiny sections.
5. Boil for 30 seconds on each side, then carefully remove the pretzel with a slotted spatula, and set it on a clean tea towel while the rest of the pretzels bake.
6. Place boiled (and slightly dried!) pretzels on parchment-lined baking sheets (I just used a cookie sheet).
7. Brush with an egg wash (egg beaten with a couple tablespoons of water) and sprinkle with salt. Use pretzel salt if you have it. Kosher salt will taste good, but pretty much dissolves into invisibility by the time the pretzels are baked.
**I put salt on half the batch and sugar on the other. The one’s with sugar did not taste like anything, so I’d recommend sticking to salt if you decide to make them.
8. Bake until the pretzels are dark golden brown in color, about 12 minutes.
Click to the next page to see the final product!
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Final Product
Rating: 9
Time Spent in Kitchen: 2 hours
My family could not stop eating these. I loved them and they will definitely be making an appearance at our next family party. It was easier to make these at home because I had a large space to make and cut the dough, but I don’t think it’s impossible to do at Foster. If you are a pretzel addict, this recipe is definitely for you.
Peace, Love & Pinterest
-Katherine