I don’t eat fast food and really try and make an effort to steer clear of “junk” food in general. I have to admit that sometimes I am more successful at this than others. I have tried to adopt the philosophy that if you do partake in so called “guilty pleasures” than you should make them yourself. If you really want a chocolate chip cookie but have to go to the store to get the ingredients and then come home and make them yourself you are more likely to eat them less often. The same goes for every other store bought packaged product in your cupboard or freezer. At the very least it makes you stop and forces you to think about how bad you truly want that cookie, candy, potato chip ect. Think about all the calories and money we would save if every time we wanted junk food we had to make it ourselves.
So, last year for Super bowl I decided to make soft pretzels. They were good but I don’t think I would have bragged about them. As soon as I tried one I knew that there was room for improvement. They were just so “bready”. Since Football Sundays were over and bikini season was ahead I wasn’t in any rush to try my hand at another batch.
A couple months ago I was at the Mall and the Pretzels smelled so good I couldn’t resist! I couldn’t believe I was spending $5 for something that is going straight to my thighs and is SOO cheap to make. I guess sometimes feeding a craving is worth it?? As I sat and ate my $5 twist of gold I couldn’t help but think about the last time I made pretzels and how disappointed I was with the results. I decided I should try again. As soon as I had the thought, something else popped into my head….it was a picture of my husband and I at the beach with pretzels pinned to our bodies!! Mine on my thighs and his on his belly…not a good look, let me tell ya!! I came to the conclusion that I would need to wait until we had a “reason” to make them.
It didn’t take long…just a few weeks later a friend asked if I could make soft pretzels for the SURPRISE Pub Birthday Party (Hence the pretzels AND beer title ) she was throwing for her fiancé, who happens to be my brother-in law’s brother. What is that to me?????? Anyway, I could not resist!
I looked high and low for the perfect recipe and came back with nothing. So I kinda came up with my own version of the many “Mall Pretzel” recipes out there.
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 4 cups hot water
- 1/4 cup course kosher salt, for topping
Directions
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the melted butter and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. (I dumped everything in the bowl of my electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and let it go on low for about 8 minutes.) Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with clean damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place (an oven that is turned off but the oven light is left on works perfect) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
- When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until browned.
If you want to be really decadent, wait to add salt until after baking. Once they come out of oven you brush a tad of melted butter or margarine on top and sprinkle with butter. I hear they are also delicious tossed in cinnamon sugar.
These taste best RIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN!! I suggest that if you are making them for a party, do steps 1-4 and then stick them in the oven as guests arrive. If you are dead set on making ahead of time at least keep them warm in a low oven about 200-250 degrees.
After just spending a few minutes with GOOGLE I promise that you will find copy cat recipes (use sparingly) AND healthy alternative recipes (make all you want) to all your favorite snacks. You will also feel better knowing that you are NOT consuming the preservatives and chemicals that you normally would when you buy that store bought junk!
