There is something about soft warm pretzels that is so good - SOO good. I love the transformation of soft pretzels from a wet slimy yucky ball of dough - into a puffed up golden brown delicious pastry.
Here's the problem with this recipe. I'm used to round pretzel things. Either rolls or nuggets... these were sticks. Guess what didn't work so well? The whole getting them out of the baking soda water bath process could have gone better. They were breaking apart and flopping all over the place. My kids were pretty clear on the whole "those don't look right" - yeah no kidding. Andy was even less help - I won't give his comments space here... because he sure ate his fair share of these treats.
Thankfully these baked up pretty deliciously. Perhaps the shape wasn't ideal and the presentation kinda sucked... also my attempts at making cheese sauce are done, DONE. Next time I'm buying bottled cheese sauce and calling it good. Somehow I just suck at it. I keep thinking I can make it better, I can make something that does not resemble yellow wallpaper paste - but alas - not gonna happen.
Anyway - fresh pretzels. Yum. They should be soft and pillowy, unlike the ones we saw on the British Bake Off where they "snapped" and were crunchy. That's not how big ol' pretzels are supposed to be - just sayin'.
German Soft Pretzel Sticks
½ cup light brown sugar
2 cups warm water about 110 degrees
5½ teaspoons active dry yeast
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
5¾ cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading
¾ cup baking soda
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
1 Tablespoon of butter for buttering parchment
In a large bowl of stand mixer, combine the brown sugar and 2 cups of warm water until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vegetable oil and 3 cups of the flour. Knead in the remaining 2¾ cups of flour; the dough will be slightly sticky. Knead until smooth and silky, about 3 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, knead in up to ¼ cup more flour.
Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450°. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough lightly, flatten it out and cut it into 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 7-8 inch stick about ½ inch thick. Transfer the sticks to the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between them. Let stand uncovered until puffed, about 25 minutes.
Heat up 1 cup of hot water on burner. Keep hot until needed. (Or heat in microwave.)
In a large, deep skillet, stir the baking soda into 2 quarts of water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Using 2 slotted spoons, carefully transfer 6 pretzel sticks at a time to the simmering water for a total of 30 seconds. Turning once after 15 seconds. Add about 1 cup of hot water before cooking the second batch of pretzels. Transfer the pretzel sticks to paper towels to drain, then return them to the baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Add another cup of hot water before the second batch.
Brush the pretzel sticks with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake until deeply browned, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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