Soft Puffy Pretzel Sticks Food

SOFT JUMBO PRETZEL STICKS (SUPER EASY)

Steps:

• 1. Roll each piece of dough into a 5" rope. Place on a large prepared baking sheet. Cover with saran wrap sprayed with non-stick spray, place in a warm spot and let rise for about an hour.
• 2. Place 2 quarts of water in a large saucepan. Add baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Gently place each stick in the soda water and simmer gently for 15 seconds per side.
• 3. Drain on a wire rack and return to prepared baking sheet. (I use parchment paper.) Score lightly every inch or so, if desired. Combine egg with 1 TB. water to make an egg wash. Brush each with egg wash and sprinkle with course salt.
• 4. Bake at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes until golden brown.
• 5. SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I like mine with honey mustard or yellow mustard, but a melty cheese sauce is also delicious. On game day, I serve with my Wisconsin Beer Dip. (Recipe in comments section.) Also excellent served with Cheddar Potato Soup.

SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Put yeast, sugar and water in bowl and stir. Let sit for 5 minutes and add salt, butter and 1 cup flour. Stir till smooth.
• Add rest of flour and stir till mixed well. When mixture is too stiff to stir with a spoon (or you can use an electric mixer with dough hook like I do), begin kneading. Knead dough till smooth and the dough no longer sticks to your hands.
• Place dough back in bowl and cover to rise to double it's size.
• While dough is rising, grease cookie sheet and preheat oven to 475°F Prepare baking soda boil by combining the 4 cups of water and 5 teaspoons baking soda in a non-aluminum pot and bring to a boil on stove.
• When dough has risen, punch down and knead a minute or so. Divide and roll into 6 inch sticks to about 1/2 inch diameter with your hands, or 12 inch long rolls to make into the pretzel shape.
• Allow pretzels to sit for 2-3 minutes. Place 1-2 at a time into the boiling baking soda water.
• Let pretzels boil for 1 minute and 10 seconds on one side, then flip them over and boil 1 minute and 10 seconds on the other side.
• This boiling step is the secret to firm skin and adds that definite pretzel flavor. Not boiling them long enough leaves them too soft and allows them to rise too much. Boiling too long makes them tough. Err on the side of not too long if unsure.
• Using a large slotted spoon, lift them out the of water, let them drip off and place on the greased cookie sheet. When all are done, sprinkle with course salt (Parmesan is good too!).
• Bake 12-15 minutes until the are a medium to dark golden brown.
• Makes 3 dozen 6 inch sticks or 1 dozen pretzels.

SOFT PRETZEL STICKS WITH HONEY MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, and yellow mustard in a small bowl, and store in the refrigerator while preparing pretzel sticks.
• Mix yeast and brown sugar in a small bowl; add warm water, and whisk until sugar dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Mix flour and salt together in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add canola oil and gradually pour in the yeast mixture, kneading until smooth and silky, 4 to 5 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, knead in more flour.
• Shape dough into a ball and transfer to a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
• Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Flatten into a rectangle and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a stick about 7 inches long. Place sticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; let rest uncovered for about 25 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Pour about 5 quarts of water in a large, deep pot; stir in baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Carefully place pretzel sticks in the simmering water in batches for 30 seconds, flipping after 15 seconds. Remove from water and let drain on paper towels.
• Transfer the sticks back to the baking sheet. Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with the honey mustard dipping sauce.

SOFT PUFFY PRETZEL STICKS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar into 2 cups of warm water until dissolved.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the vegetable oil and 3 cups of the flour. Knead in the remaining 2 3/4 cups flour; dough will be slightly sticky.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until silky, about 3 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour.
• Transfer dough to a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Heat oven to 450*F. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper; butter the paper.
• Punch dough down and turn out onto a floured surface.
• Knead dough lightly, flatten it out, and cut into 24 pieces.
• Roll each piece into a 9" stick about 1/2" thick.
• Transfer sticks to the cookie sheets, spacing them 2" apart. Let stand, uncovered, until puffed, about 25 minutes.
• In a large, deep skillet, stir the baking soda into 2 qts. water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium.
• Using 2 slotted spoons, carefully transfer 6 pretzel sticks at a time into the simmering water for 30 seconds, turning once.
• Add about 1 cup of hot water to the soda mixture before cooking each batch of pretzels.
• Drain pretzels on paper towels, then return them to the cookie sheets.
• Brush pretzels with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake until richly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
• The baked pretzels can be stored overnight in an airtight plastic storage bag. Reheat before serving.

SOFT PRETZEL RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set aside two baking sheets covered in parchment paper or a silpat mat.
• Make the Dough: In a large bowl (or the bowl of stand mixer), combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir and let sit for 1 minute. The yeast should be foamy. (If it is not, the yeast did not activate properly and this step must be repeated). Stir in the kosher salt.
• With a wooden spoon (or the mixer's paddle attachment), slowly stir in 2 cups of the white whole wheat flour and the all-purpose flour.
• Continue to stir in the remaining 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour, a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky and bounces back when poked. (I used nearly 8 tablespoons, or the full 1/2 cups, but the amount you need may vary based on your flour brand, the moisture in the air, or what mood the flour is in that day). Stir in any desired mix-ins (they will continue to incorporate as you knead the dough).
• With the dough hook, knead the dough for 5 minutes. Lightly coat a clean bowl with nonstick spray. Place the dough into the bowl, turn to coat the dough on all sides with the spray, then cover and let dough rise for 30 minutes.
• Once dough has puffed, lightly flour a knife or bench scraper and cut the dough into 4 equal parts. Then, cut those 4 parts into 2 parts each.
• Gently roll each piece of dough into a thin rope of even diameter on a lightly floured surface (the longer the rope, the larger your pretzel will be and it will have more of a classic pretzel "chew." Thicker ropes will yield fluffy, bread-like pretzels that are more soft and puffy. I rolled mine to be 16 inches.) To form the pretzel, lay the rope horizontally, then pick up each end and draw them upwards as if you were forming a circle, cross the ends, then draw them down to form a pretzel shape. Lightly press the dough ends of the rope to hold the shape.
• In a shallow bowl or pie dish, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon of water to create an egg wash. Dip each entire pretzel into the egg wash and coat both sides. Place each pretzel on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, Watch closely to prevent burning. Let cool slightly.
• Brush the warm pretzels with melted butter and sprinkle with desired toppings. Enjoy!

SALTED PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL ENERGY BALLS

Steps:

• Combine oats, pretzels, peanuts, chocolate chips, chia seeds and salt in a large bowl. Stir peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir until well combined.
• Using 1 tablespoon for each, shape the mixture into 32 balls. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Put the flour, yeast, sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl and mix together to combine. In a large jug, mix together 300ml lukewarm water and the butter. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the water, mixing together to form a rough dough.
• Tip out onto a floured work surface and knead for 10-15 mins or until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and set aside until doubled in size, about 1hr.
• Once risen, knock out the air bubbles in the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a long rope about 60cm long.
• To form into pretzels, lay the rope in a U-shape with the curve pointing towards you. Take the two ends and cross them over.
• Take the ends, lift them backwards and press them into the curve of the U-shape. Repeat with the remaining dough. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Carefully place the pretzels on a baking tray lined with parchment and lightly greased with oil. Cover lightly with oiled cling film. Set aside for about 20 mins until puffy (not fully risen like bread dough).
• Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water, bring to the boil, add the baked bicarbonate of soda, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. One at a time, carefully lift the pretzels into the pan and cook for 20 secs per side. The pretzels will rise to the surface; flip with a slotted spoon.
• Use the spoon to gently lift the pretzels from the pan and return them to the baking tray. Once they have all been cooked in the water, lightly brush with the egg and sprinkle with flaked sea salt.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins or until a rich, dark brown. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Best served on the day made but can be frozen for up to 1 month.