I don’t really believe in baking secrets. It seems silly to withhold information. If I know something, I’d much prefer to share it!
So, even though I started selling these pretzels in the Hazel Haus Bake Shop and it would make sense to keep the recipe on lockdown, that doesn’t feel like the move to me. I would much rather empower you all to make pretzels at home! And then, if you don’t feel like making them, come on over and I’m happy to serve you some out my little bakery window.
But spoiler, pretzels are way easier to make than you might think. And once you’ve got the basic recipe down there is a world of possibilities ahead of you — asiago pretzel, everythign seasoning pretzel — sky is the limit!
So let’s jump into the recipe.
Good Ol Salty Pretzels
Makes 12
1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast, this is my favorite yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
3 cups + 2 TBS all-purpose flour, plus a little for dusting
coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Baking Soda Bath
1/2 cup baking soda
9 cups water
Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a dough hook attached to stand mixer until dough is thick. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes and using the dough hook on your mixer. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, get the water + baking soda boiling.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
With a sharp knife or bench knife cut dough into in 12 sections (about 70g/each). Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the two ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.
Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and onto a cooling rack to allow the excess water to drip off. Then place the pretzel on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and enjoy!
