Happy September! The end of the summer is quickly approaching and that means football season here. The trips to the bars to watch the game are on the rise—as is hosting parties and gatherings. Playing hostess is one of my favorite things to do. It took a while for me to grow into that role though. Today’s recipe is a great way to bring bar treats to your home parties. Soft pretzels are one of my favorites treats. For me, soft pretzels are quintessential fall treats so they are something you will see featured in the next couple of months on Sugar & Wine.
Other fun additions to the blog in the coming weeks are my fall entertaining guide and fall tablescapes. Fall and winter have some of the most beautiful tablescape opportunities and I’ve been working hard on a few to inspire your tables this season.
Now, these soft pretzels are my standard base recipe, which I’m sharing below, but they can be made into sticks, rolls, bites, and the standard pretzel shape. So, go grab some beer and some spicy mustard and then get into the kitchen and make some of these pretzels. You will be the hostess with the mostess at your next party!
Soft Pretzel Sticks
Ingredients
Servings: 10-15 (approximately 40 sticks)
Time: 2 hours
1 package active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (approximately 110-115°F) water
5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk, beaten and mixed with 1 tbsp water
Salt
The How-To
In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the warm water, sugar, salt and mix together. Then, add the dry yeast to the top and slightly mix, enough to wet it. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to proof. Then, add five cups of flour, one cup at a time to the mixture until the dough isn’t sticky and pulls from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Place it into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for approximately an hour in a warm place. It will be doubled in size.
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a pot, pour the 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the baking soda. Spray two baking sheets with olive oil and set aside. Beat the egg yolk and water together and also set aside.
While the water is coming to a boil, remove the dough and place on a flat surface. Work the dough into a ball and cut into half. Roll out half the dough using a rolling pin. Cut the dough into quarter inch wide strips using a pizza cutter. Then, cut the dough strips in half.
Drop 3-4 pieces at a time into the boiling baking soda for approximately 30 seconds. Remove using a slotted spoon to drain off the water. Place on the baking sheet and baste on the yolk mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
After removing the pretzels from the oven, brush them with butter and salt them. Let the pretzels cool for 5 minutes prior to serving.
Repeat the process for the remaining dough.
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