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Grease a large bowl and place the dough into it.We don’t need a ton of structure here, and extra mixing will create a tough, elastic dough. Do not over-mix or you will risk excessive gluten formation. Mix on low until everything comes together. Make a well in the center and add the melted butter and yeast mixture. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix together the flour, brown sugar, and kosher salt.
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Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and let stand until foamy and fragrant or 5-10 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat the water with the granulated sugar until just warm to the touch-about 90⁰F.Makes about 24 small pretzels, depending on sizeĢ ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast Also, that nutty flavor will be fantastic and all-over your soft pretzels. This fast browning maintains the soft interior while creating a rapid crispiness on the exterior. The basic concentration on the outside of the pretzel will cause the Maillard browning reaction to occur much more quicklyin the oven. When we dunk our pretzel dough into a boiling baking soda bath, the change in pH creates ideal conditions for the always-magical Maillard browning! We’ve talked before about how heat can speed up the browning process, but here we are optimizing the reaction with an increase in pH. In this case, we are using baking soda specifically for its alkalinity. The baking soda base acts with the acid in doughs/batters and creates carbon dioxide causing the lift that is characteristic in baked goods. We’re going to go the safer route and use baking soda.īaking soda is also basic and is often used as a leavening agent for that very reason. Is this taking you back to high school chemistry? Classically, lye is used to create this solution because of its highly basic properties. And when I say basic solution, I mean a water bath that has a pH greater than 7. The key to the pretzel’s crackly, browned crust and soft, chewy inside is a bath of basic solution prior to baking. The result? A texture and flavor that is out of this world-something you won’t find in any other food. You’re essentially using tricks to optimize the best reactionsin the book. Serve the pretzels warm with the sweet mustard sauce.Soft pretzels are so cool from a food science standpoint. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat place on a wire rack to let excess butter drip off. Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish. Prepare the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.ĭissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and grease a large baking sheet. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften stir into the mix. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Make the pretzels: Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees F pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast.