Making German style soft pretzels with a spicy cheese sauce is our welcome to fall. We discovered this wonderful Bavarian soft and chewy snack/appetizer 15 years ago and it's been a tradition ever since.
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Why we love this recipe
This year we started a little earlier because our oldest son decided he'd prefer Soft Pretzels with Spicy Cheese Dip for his birthday instead of the usual ice cream and cake. We are always more than happy to comply! And what was his verdict on the taste of his birthday choice?
Usually, when we make these pretzels we're like a mini-factory. We just keep producing and producing, then freezing and freezing. Before these snowbirds head south to escape the dreary months of January, February and March in Indiana, we make sure each family has 3 dozen soft pretzels with spicy cheese dip.
Now that is just the snack food.
It doesn't include how many batches of pitas and baguettes we make to distribute among them. This is the reason we buy 50 pounds of high-gluten flour and 50 pounds of all-purpose flour about twice a year.
Yes! That's a lot of flour but we enjoy baking and seeing the big smiles on the grandkids' and kids' faces when they see us lugging the multi-bags of bread to their door makes it all worthwhile.
There is something so homey about bread baking, don't you think? The whole house is filled with a wonderfully pleasing aroma no perfume could ever duplicate.
Bread is the epitome of comfort food!
How to make the soft pretzel dough
The recipe for making the soft pretzels is not difficult. There a few steps but once you get the hang of it it comes together easily.
A good pretzel starts out with a process that's like making bread dough. One of the secrets of these soft pretzels is the rye flour which gives the pretzels flecks of color and an earthy flavor.
The rising step is very important:
- gives the pretzels their texture.
- needs the time to relax and be pliable so it will stretch out into a long pliable rope, then twist and form into pretzel shape.
The actual pretzel rope doesn't just do a crossover, you have to do a twist then bring down the ends of the rope and pinch them to the lower semi-circle.
Instructions for making the Bavarian pretzels
Follow the photos from left to right.
- Soft Pretzel Ingredients.
- Pat dough out.
- Form 2 loaves
- Cut each loaf into 8 pieces
- Roll each piece into a long rope and make a "U" put one end over the other.
- Twist the ends once.
- Boil the formed pretzel top side down first.
- Flip pretzel and boil bottom side.
- Brush with milk and sprinkle with pretzel salt.
How to Boil the soft pretzels
- soft pretzels are boiled just like bagels.
- boiling sets the pretzels' shape and it gives them their distinctive chewy flavor.
- baking soda in the boiling water which helps in the browning of the pretzels.
It's all about the acid in bread dough etc., etc. Including the all scientific explanation would be TMI. It's just important to know that the baking soda helps in the color.
The oven needs a steam pan. The reason it's needed is that it keeps the dough soft so it will rise and not form a crust too fast.
How to store soft pretzels
Pretzels are always best eaten hot! Oh yes, and better to dunk them in the spicy, creamy cheese dip. To be honest, these soft pretzels are delicious plain.
To enjoy them later:
- cool them completely.
- freeze them in an airtight plastic bag.
- reheat the oven to 350° F.
- bake for 10 minutes on a baking sheet.
They'll taste as good as when you first made them. If you store them at room temperature the coarse salt that's sprinkled on top will draw out moisture and leave the soft pretzels soggy.
📞Chiacchierata
This is a wonderful family project. You can easily teach the kids to roll and twist the pretzel to form the shape. And as a bonus, I've included our family's favorite dunking cheese dip that is made with Velveeta cheese. This you can make as spicy or as mild as you like.
Divertitevi! {Have fun!}
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
If you like this recipe, please consider giving it a five-star rating.
Soft Pretzels with Spicy Cheese Sauce
These German soft pretzels are exactly as what you'd purchase at your favorite pretzel stand. They are easy to make and keep on hand. They're chewy and soft at the same time. So good to dunk in your favorite cheese sauce. Make several batches, they freeze beautifully.
📖 Recipe
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water 115 F
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 Tablespoons rye flour
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 4-5 cups all-purpose flour -- measure 4 ½ cups in bowl and reserve ½ cup
For boiling
- 10 cups water
- 3 Tablespoons baking soda
- Brush pretzels with: milk
- Sprinkle with coarse salt pretzel salt
Instructions
- In large mixing bowl add the molasses into the water, then add the yeast.
- In another bowl add the 4 ½ cups flour, rye flour, salt and whisk together then add this to the liquid ingredients mixing on low with the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough until smooth, adding flour from the additional ½ cup, as needed. This will take about 5-6 minutes.
- Lightly grease large bowl with vegetable spray and place the dough in the bowl, turning once to coat the dough with the spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. (This depends on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Punch down the dough and divide in half, then each half into 8 pieces.You will have 16 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a long rope any where from 20" to 24". Keep your work area tacky so that you can roll out the dough. Too much flour makes the rope just slide around.
- Take the rope and shape it into a letter "U". Take one end and put it over the other, then twist the end once. Bring the twisted ends down and pinch them to seal on to the bottom loop.
- Place the formed pretzels on two parchment lined baking sheets. { We spray the parchment paper with vegetable spray, it makes the pretzels easier to get on and off} Cover and let rise for 15 minutes, or until slightly poofy. While pretzels rise, preheat oven to 450 F. Put a steam pan in the lower rack of the oven for ice (it will create the steam).
- In a deep 12" pan bring the 10 cups of water to a boil; stir in 3 Tablespoons baking soda. Add three pretzels to the pan top side down first and boil until they puff slightly and rise to the top, about 30 seconds. Flip pretzels and boil 30 seconds more. Use a flat slotted spatula or spider and transfer pretzels back to the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
- Brush pretzels with milk and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. The milk helps the salt stick to the top and also makes the pretzels look glossy when baked.
- Bake pretzels, one sheet at a time, on the middle rack of the oven above the steam pan. Just before baking, dump ice cubes into the steam pan.
- Bake pretzels 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet, cool slightly on a rack. Add more ice to the steam pan and bake second batch. Pretzels taste best when warm.
- To freeze: Let pretzels cool completely then freeze in a plastic bag. Reheat in a 350 F preheated oven for 10 minutes. They will taste as good as freshly baked.
Notes
- Adapted from Cuisine Magazine recipe Sept/Oct 2000 issue.
