The unique flavor pretzels take on from a quick alkaline bath draws me in every time.
Pretzel Bread
I ran across an odd coincidence while preparing this post. I decided to continue my sharing of bread recipes with pretzel bread. As I was making the dough I decided to look up pretzels in my favorite science/cooking book "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee. The coincidence was that the entry after flatbreads is pretzels. It was fate that I opted to follow up the flatbread trilogy with pretzels 😂
I choose to share this recipe by weight and measure as I tend make this recipe by weighing my ingredients, but I recognize that measuring can sometimes be easier, particularly if you do not have access to a scale. Weighing the ingredients will lead to a more consistent product, but I've made this many times using both methods so don't worry if you don't have a scale handy, it's a forgiving dough. A few of the ingredients don't weigh much so I've only listed them by their measure.
Recipe
| Ingredient | Weight | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 21 ounces | 4 cups |
| Brown Sugar | 2.6 ounces | 2 Tablespoons |
| Coconut oil | 1 ounce | 2 Tablespoons |
| Instant dry yeast | ... | 2 1/2 teaspoons |
| ... | ... | ... |
| Non Dairy Milk (I use oat milk) | 1 ounce | 2 Tablespoons |
| Hot Water (~105°F) | 10.25 ounces | 1 1/4 cup + 1/2 Tablespoon |
| ... | ... | ... |
| Water | 128 ounces | 1 gallon |
| Baking Soda | ... | 1 cup |
| ... | ... | ... |
| Coarse Sea Salt | ... | 1 Tablespoon |
Notes before preparing:
*️⃣ I prefer bread flour for the higher protein count but all purpose will work as well. I'm lucky enough to live within a few miles of the Bob's Red Mill Headquarters and prefer their Artisan Bread Flour, but again, go with what you got.
*️⃣ Dry active yeast can be used in the same amount as the instant yeast, but it must first be bloomed in the hot water before adding to the dry ingredients.
*️⃣ To gauge the temperature of the water you can use a thermometer, but I typically allow the tap to get hot and wait for it to feel about hot tub temperature. Big caution, too hot can kill the yeast so error on the side of too cool.
*️⃣ I prefer to use a stand mixer to make the dough, but it can easily be kneaded by hand.
Method
1️⃣ Combine the flour, sugar, coconut oil, and yeast in a stand mixer bowl and stir with the dough hook attachment. Alternatively this can be mixed and kneaded by hand.
2️⃣ Add the milk and hot water to the flour mixture and allow the dough to knead for 2-5 minutes at medium speed until the dough is smooth.
3️⃣ Allow the dough to proof in a warm spot, covered with a kitchen towel, until doubled in size. This process can take 1-2 hours.
4️⃣ Remove the dough from the bowl and using a sharp knife, or bench scrapper, divide the dough into 12-16 equal portions depending on what size roll you desire. If you are making buns for a burger patty I suggest scaling into 12 portions. Smaller dinner rolls can be portioned into 16. Shape each portion into smooth balls and place onto a lightly floured sheet pan. Cover with the kitchen towel, or plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 30-60 minutes until again doubled in size. If preparing ahead, place the covered dough into a refrigerator and remove 30-60 minutes before ready to proceed to the next step.
5️⃣ Bring the gallon of water and the baking soda to a boil in a large pot and preheat an over to 425°F.
6️⃣ Add the scaled dough two portions at a time to the boiling water for 10 seconds. Flip the dough over and allow to boil for 10 more seconds.
7️⃣ Place the boiled dough onto a baking sheet (I prefer to line the baking sheet with a silpat) score the top of each and top with the coarse salt.
8️⃣ Bake the rolls for 8-10 minutes and remove when well browned and cooked through.
Enjoy
These are great as
]=' dinner rolls if made into 16 portions, but I enjoy them the best as a burger bun. I scaled some of this batch into sticks that are great for dipping in mustard, especially a spicy variety. I prefer to use Maldon sea salt for the topping, but there are many great coarse salt options available. The extra crunch and saltiness that the salt adds put these pretzels over the top. This recipe would work just as well in a traditional knotted pretzel shape, but that tends to be too much work for me 😀
Some of my other recipes
🍕 Grilled Pizza - Check out my method for making pizza on the grill and where the flat bread trilogy began
🥙 Pita – Part two of the flatbread trilogy
🫓 Naan – The closing chapter of the flatbread trilogy
🍣 Kombu Dashi - Making kombu dashi for a vegetarian tempura dipping sauce