Ingredients
1C and laer 1 1/2 Cups Warm water
2 and 1/4 tsp instant or active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 TBS melted butter
1 TBS brown or regular granulated sugar
1 TBS salt
3 C flour + 1/4C more at a time (total of 3-4 C)
Course sea salt for sprinkling
Baking Soda Bath
1/2 Cup Baking Soda
9 Cups of water
Instructions
Summary
Let the yeast foam in warm water for a few minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix. You can use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, a hand mixer, or no mixer at all. Work with what you have in the kitchen. Guess what? You don’t have to wait to let this dough rise. YES! Well, we’ll let it rest for 10 minutes while you get the baking soda + water boiling on the stove but that’s it. Don’t have any patience? This is the recipe for you. By the way, did you know that some pretzel recipes call for rising overnight? They’re remarkable pretzels but I’m satisfied with this ultra-quick dough!
Roll 1/3 cup of dough into a long 20-22 inch rope. Twist the ends and bring the ends down. That’s a pretzel! Now drop the pretzels into the boiling water + baking soda. Let them boil for 20-30 seconds each, then place them onto a baking sheet. This pretzel dough makes 12 regular-sized soft pretzels, so I use 2 baking sheets. 6 on each. Sprinkle with salt and bake in a hot oven. That’s it, you’re done.
Details
Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow sitting 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 wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to a stand mixer) until the dough is thick.
Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball.
Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into sections (approx 1/3 cup of dough).
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 allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto a prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking in step 7.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and serve warm with Nacho cheese dipping sauce
Cover and store leftover pretzels 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.
