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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Pretzel Rolls


This is an excellent recipe to start with if you’re still afraid to use yeast – it couldn’t be easier.  And believe it or not, these actually taste like soft pretzels. Salty, chewy, tender and very satisfying.  No kneading, no stress-- just a peaceful time of waiting and watching.   Yeast is such a mysterious ingredient. There’s nothing like that earthy smell wafting up from the yeast and warm water…… How can that turn into bread???

I read about this recipe on Opera Singer in the Kitchen. (Noelle is a fellow Michigan blogger) on the Monday after Easter and decided to make these to serve with my leftover Easter ham….. so glad I did. The fried egg was Tim’s idea.

You can follow the vegan recipe on Noelle’s site or the one I used on Tasty Kitchen.


Here’s what you need:
1 ½ C  warm water (110 degrees F. I actually used my candy thermometer)
1 package Active Dry Yeast (not Quick Rise Yeast)
2 teaspoons sugar
4 ½ C unbleached all-purpose flour
2 t Kosher salt (this seems like too much, but it was very nice - Remember, Kosher salt tastes less salty than regular table salt, so adjust your amount down if you use table salt. Kosher salt also measures differently than table salt because of its larger crystals.)
4 T melted unsalted butter (I suppose you could use salted butter and cut down on the amount of salt you add)
¼ C baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten
Sea salt to sprinkle on top

Here’s what you do:
Place the warm water in the bowl of a standing mixer, add the yeast and wait about 5 minutes until the yeast is frothy and ‘alive.’

In the meantime: whisk together the sugar, flour and salt. Melt the butter. Beat the egg and set aside.

When the yeast is a bit ‘foamy’ add the dry ingredients in small amounts, mixing well. Add the melted butter and egg and mix well with the hook attachment until it looks like this:



Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch down and turn out onto a floured board. Cut into 16-18 pieces; shape into balls by pinching, coaxing and rolling. You have to sort of pull the sides down to the bottom and pinch it together to seal. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.



Now the strange part: Boil 2 quarts of water. When bubbly, add the baking soda……. It’s like a science experiment. Lower heat to simmer.



Add the ‘dough balls’ carefully to the simmering water and poach them, seam side down for about 30 seconds. Turn them over and do the same for the second side. Remove them with a slotted spoon to the same prepared parchment lined baking sheets.









Glaze each roll with lightly beaten egg wash – make sure to coat completely. Top each roll with sea salt (or pretzel salt). Cut a cross shaped slash in each roll with a sharp knife. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.



These were totally fantastic – I recommend them to all of you – try your hand at making these today – it was not difficult and the end product was excellent!


These were incredible toasted the next morning with butter and honey. 


(printable recipe) 


ONE YEAR AGO:  Strawberry Rhubarb Pie  (My first-ever blog post!)







12 comments:

  1. They look fantastic! We had pretzels while in Ger,any and I was reminded of these rolls. I am going to have to make them again soon!Thanks for letitng me know about the post!

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  2. I like Tim's addition! Bacon, egg and cheese on a soft roll was our strandard Saturday morning breakfast in NY. Every deli made them the same way and they tasted great. so simple and yet so difficult to come by in Cleveland. Even though your post isn't technically about the fried egg, I do think it would be nice to try it on a pretzel roll. It would be a nice Saturday morning surprise for Mr. S!

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  3. These look SO good - I am a little bit of a wimp when it comes to yeast - so maybe these are a good start for me! They would definitely be a hit in my house!
    Mary

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  4. these look awesome! i LOVE pretzels, so i'm digging your idea of eating them with ham and eggs for breakfast! this might need to happen this weekend...

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  5. I made pretzels a few months back and was amazed at the ease of making them! These rolls however remind me of some that we used to get when visiting Germany.. they make a perfect sandwich! I can't wait to try em out!

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  6. I've made a lot of bread but I've always been afraid of pretzels. I think I can follow your directions and serve these soon.

    How does the crust compare to a pretzel? Same?

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  7. @Maureen - the crust is a bit moister than a regular pretzel, but it's perfect for sandwiches and for munching. They're kinda chewy in a perfect way!
    @Evan and Briggsy and Mary and Mrs. Stranded- I encourage you to try them and let me know what you think!

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  8. These look great! I love pretzels rolls, but never really thought of making them myself.

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  9. What a treat! These really look delicious. I know my family would love them. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  10. I am always so impatient when it comes to waiting for yeast to rise, but this looks like a recipe that even I could handle. Yum!

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  11. I've made this same recipe and they always come out great. Thanks for the reminder. I need to make these again.

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  12. this is gorgeous..my kids would love this..
    chanced upon your space while blog hopping..
    amazing blog you have..very interesting posts...
    Am your happy follower now..:)
    do stop by mine sometime..
    Tasty Appetite

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Thanks for stopping by my Living Cookbook! I appreciate each and every comment!