Salted Soft Pretzels
Recipe by Adapted from Alton Brown by Ashlee Redger
All-Purpose Cooking
Baking
Dropping pretzels in a boiling baking soda solution gelatinizes the starches, allowing the pretzels to develop that characteristic nutty brown exterior while remaining deliciously soft!
Serves
8 pretzels
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cooking Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water 1 Tbsp. salt of choice, plus more to sprinkle:
French Fleur de Sel
French Fleur de Sel
Kosher Salt
Kosher Salt
Maldon Sea Salt
Maldon Sea Salt
Sel Marin de Guerande Grey Sea Salt
Sel Marin de Guerande Grey Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp. (1 package) active dry yeast
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. olive oil
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg, beaten
Crushed Aleppo Chiles
Crushed Aleppo Chiles (optional), to sprinkle
Directions
Step 1
Make dough
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine warm water, salt of choice, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for about 5 min., or until mixture begins to foam slightly. Add 4 cups flour and melted butter and mix with your hands until dough begins to come together. Add more flour in 1/4 cup increments if dough is sticky and wet. Knead for 4 to 5 min. or until dough forms a smooth ball and does not break when stretched. Drizzle olive oil in the bowl and turn dough over to coat. Lightly cover bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Step 3
Form pretzels
Step 4
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside. In a large pot, bring 10 cups water and baking soda to a rolling boil. Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a 24-inch long rope. Make a U-shape with the rope and cross the ends over each other and press into the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of the pretzel. Place each pretzel gently onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
Step 5
Boil and bake
Step 6
One by one, gently place each pretzel into the boiling water for 30 seconds, and lift out using a large slotted spoon or spatula. Return boiled pretzels to the sheet pan, brush the top with beaten egg, and sprinkle generously with salt of choice and Crushed Allepo Chiles. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 min. Transfer to a rack and let cool for at least 5 min. before serving.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was adapted from Alton Brown's Homemade Soft Pretzels.
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