My sister and I have quite a few pretzel recipes on here, but this is our new favorite! These are light fluffy and buttery and they melt in your mouth! These really are easy to make, it looks like there are a lot of steps but there are more helpful tips than instructions, so don’t be scared :)
My daughter has been sick with pneumonia and living off of toast for the last few days so I though I would make these pretzel bites for her. After I made them, I put them in individual baggies. She said she was hungry so I have her a bag that had at least 15-20 pretzel bites. I went back to check on her a few minutes later and the bag was empty! I asked if she ate them all or gave some to the dog and she had eaten them all :)
I also gave some to my sister and she loved them and made me make her another batch the next day.
So this is what your bread should look like after being in the bread machine for a few minutes. If it’s too dry add a tablespoon of water at time until it looks right. If too wet do the same with tablespoons of flour.
Next put the dough out on a floured surface and divide into six pieces. Roll out each piece into a long rope about 1/2 inch thick.
Cut each rope into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.
Once you have cut all of them. Place half of them in your baking soda/water bath. They don’t need to sit in the bath for more than a few seconds. Take them out of the water and place on lined baking sheet. Repeat with the second half and put them on the second baking sheet.
Place both in the oven immediately. If you let them sit out for too long before you put them in the oven they will taste like baking soda. If your only going to cook one pan at a time, then wait to dip them in the soda bath until your ready to put them in the oven. Don’t overcook them!! Keep an eye on them, they should be light and starting to get lightly golden.
Once they have cooked, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. I like to just give them a light sprinkle with table salt, but you can use course salt if you prefer.
(If you don’t have a bread machine you could knead the dough by hand or with a stand-mixer).
Add all the Pretzel ingredients, milk, butter, yeast, brown sugar, flour and salt in you bread machine in that order. If your machine has a quick dough setting use that, if not just use regular dough setting. Check dough a few mins. after you start it. If it's too dry add a tablespoon or 2 of water if too dry, do the same with flour. Dough should be a nice ball.
Let dough rise for 20-30 min.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick mats or parchment paper. Once dough cycle is complete, put the dough on lightly floured surface and break into 6 pieces. Roll each of the 6 pieces out into long ropes about ½ inch thick, then slice into 1- 1½ inch long pieces. (see pics) Set cut pieces aside until they are all rolled and cut.
Mix baking soda and water in medium size bowl until dissolved . Take half of the dough pieces and dump them all in the soda water and then place on baking sheet. Repeat with the second half and place on second sheet.
Bake at 425 for 7-8 minutes. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and brush pretzels with melted butter when removed from oven. Sprinkle with table salt or course salt. Serve with your favorite dip.
Wrap the Pretzels in a dish cloth and put them in a plastic container or put them directly in a paper bag - in both cases store the Pretzels a cool place. There is no way to have "fresh" Pretzels the next day without baking them again for a short time (after wetting the Pretzel a bit).
You add the ingredients, and the bread machine makes and bakes the bread in one handy appliance. Liquid ingredients are added first, then oils or fats, dry ingredients, and finally yeast (if your recipe calls for it). The machine will mix, knead, rise, and bake the dough to a beautifully soft bread with a crisp crust.
Soft pretzels are just a yeast bread is that formed into a pretzel shape. The one big difference in pretzel making, as opposed to a regular bread, is that pretzels are boiled and then baked. It is the boiling that gives the outside of the pretzel its beautiful golden brown color and uniquely crisp and chewy texture.
Thaw unsalted pretzels, until soft, at room temperature for about 30 minutes. A microwave can be used to speed up the thawing process (30 seconds per pretzel).
If needed, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked bites for up to 24 hours before baking. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Cover and store leftover pretzel bites at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Pretzel products are bread items and when left exposed to the air they will dry out within a 24 hour period, if a salted product time will be shortened. If you would like to keep product you purchased unwrapped we suggest you put product in something air tight (ex. ziplock bag or tuberware container.)
Most bread machine manuals and cookbooks call for bread flour rather than all-purpose flour. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, because it's higher in gluten than national brands of all-purpose flour, works perfectly in the bread machine.
Too much heat or humidity might lead to a too-quick rise and a crevice near the center of your bread. Conditions that are too cold might delay proofing or rising, resulting in a super-dense loaf. The bread machine works on a timer and hums along at its regular pace.
You can always substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour one for one in any recipe that calls for it. Your bread might not raise quite as high or have quite as much chew, if you are using all-purpose flour, but it will still be delicious and homemade and all the good things.
Salt is the most common seasoning, or topping, for pretzels, complementing the washing soda or lye treatment that gives pretzels their traditional skin and flavor acquired through the Maillard reaction. Other toppings are mustard, cheeses, sugar, chocolate, cinnamon, sweet glazing, seeds, and nuts.
Lye. The dough is simple; take a basic yeast-risen dough that can be readied in an afternoon. But the trick to great pretzels is dipping the pretzels in a liquid wash before baking — and not just any wash, but a combination of water and lye. That's what gives pretzels their terrific color, texture and flavor.
The boiling water + baking soda is important for color and texture of pretzel. Baking soda raises pH, thus creating a basic solution. This help the browning process during baking, which will occur more in basic pH. Thus, producing the desired flavor and brown color of pretzel.
Remove from the oven and serve warm. Cover and store leftover pretzel bites at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.
If pretzel is frozen, allow it to thaw. Wrap pretzel in foil and bake approximately 3 minutes. Microwave Oven: If pretzel is frozen, allow it to thaw. Microwave pretzel for approximately 10-15 seconds on medium setting.
Paper bags are preferable to plastic bags, as these allow the moisture to escape. Keep in mind, though, that with a paper bag your pretzels may become stale more quickly than by freezing them or placing them in a bread box.
Bake in your pre-heated 350° oven for 4-6 minutes, just enough to heat the pretzel through completely, and to dry the salt adhering to the tops. Serve immediately for a crisp crust and tender center crumb freshness.
Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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