Homemade Eggless Soft Pretzels Recipe ~ Simple Delicious Food Recipes

Warning! My pretzels may not look like the traditional pretzel still it tasted amazing and I will surely repeat to get the shape!

We are starting the fourth week of BM#60 and I am doing a theme that I thought would be appropriate for the New Year, its the New Year Challenge. The idea is to pick up things one always wanted to make and didn't take up the challenge.

One of the recipes that I always wanted to attempt has been Pretzel. Ever since I tasted a pretzel during my SFO trip, I have been so taken in by the taste and the flavours one can make with it. It was almost the first dish I tasted on my trip and it was with Jalapeno Pretzel with cheese oozing out. Trust me it was out of the world!

So I thought this theme would surely be the chance I can take to make it myself. I was inspired by this recipe and went ahead using all purpose flour itself. The original recipe uses bread flour, since we do not get it, I added 1 tbsp of gluten. I may have over proofed the dough, it rose double its size and was so soft to tough.

After the soda bath, the pretzels doubled and the shape was lost. After baking the bread was so soft and was such an indulgence. Konda and Peddu went bonkers with the taste. And wanted this to be baked again. Of course I will be making it again, as I wonder why I hesitated so much all these while.

Stay tuned for the other two dishes that I will be sharing soon. Until then enjoy these soft pretzels.

Soft Pretzel

Ingredients Needed

For the Dough

Instant Active Dry Yeast - 1 tsp.
Honey - 3 tsp.
Warm Milk - 5 tbsp
Warm Water - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour 2.5 cups
Gluten - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) - 1&1/2 tbsp

For Water bath :

Baking Soda - 4 tbsp
Hot water - 2 Cup

For Topping (optional) :

Coarse Sea Salt
Melted Butter

How to make the Pretzel

Take all the dry ingredients listed under the dough in a bowl, and mix well. Then slowly add the wet ingredients and mix to a dough.

The dough will be sticky, so dust some flour to your hands and knead again.

Rub some EVOO on the dough, cover and let it rest for at least for 1 & 1/2 hour or until it get almost double in size. Mine was sitting for almost two hours & it was more than double after rising.

Preheat the oven to 200 C degree.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease with oil

To shape the Pretzel

Knead the dough and divide it into 5 equal parts on a lightly floured surface.

Now take one dough ball & roll it into a big rope and shape it like a pretzel. Bring the two ends and from the ends, twist it twice and then bring it forward to the centre part of the rope. Press the ends and then turn and keep it downside.

Continue with all the balls.

Getting water bath ready :

MW the water and dissolve baking soda in it.

Baking the Pretzels

Once the shaping is done, take each pretzel and give a hot soda bath. Drop it in and let it stay till you count for 10. Remove and place on a wire rack for the water to drip.

Pre heat the oven at 200C and place the pretzels on a greased baking tray.

Sprinkle some coarse salt and bake for 15 mins.

Once done, brush them with some melted butter.

Notes:

My dough must have proofed more than required. It was not chewy but very soft and thick. As you can see mine were more bun like than a pretzel. Still I have no complains as my kids loved it.