Moral of the story? Always bathe yourself, and your pretzels. But they’ll end up sad and pale-kind of how Midwesterners look from January to March. Gooey cheese sauce aside-the big question still remains.Ĭan you still make these yeasty treats by skipping the baking soda boil? Sure. I reach for a cheddar-American combo, but tossing pepper Jack into the mix for a hint of spice is always smiled upon. I’m not a fan of chemistry, but when carbs and cheese are involved-I’m all in.Īnd speaking of cheese, nothing bad ever came from doubling a queso recipe (or even adding chilies to it). The baking soda turns the water from neutral to alkaline and thus, a browning reaction can now happen more rapidly.
You know that distinctive chew that all soft pretzels have? It’s there because someone took the time to give them a quick bath.Īnd the baking soda? That’s where they get their glossy crust and characteristic flavor. Here’s the low-down.Īs each piece of dough floats around in its bubbly water bath, its interior begins to “puff” and the exterior crust starts to form. If this is your first time preparing pretzels by hand, you might be wondering why they get a two-step cooking process. Letting your excitement take over will affect proper measurement and form, and you’ll end up with some pieces of dough that are perfectly bite-sized and others that are in the shape of North Carolina. Word to the wise: if you’re using a sharp dough scraper to make your slices (which I highly recommend), don’t let its ease fool you into thinking you should speed up the process. From there, a couple of swift cuts and you’ve got yourself a pile of pretzel nuggets. It just takes a few quick rolls of the hand to transform this dough into long, fluffy ropes. I mean, unless you’re having a dance party in your kitchen.Īnd I’ll be honest, soft pretzels and cheese definitely make me want to party. The beauty of this bread-like recipe (other than the fact that it doesn’t take a scientist or expert baker to put it together) is that there’s no fancy twisting involved. And if I can do it-you can too.Īlso, seeing ingredients go from water, yeast, sugar, and salt to a plate of puffy, golden-brown, salt-speckled snacks is somewhat of a miracle which makes breaking out the stand mixer and dough hook totally worth it.
They just happen to be loaded with butter and get plunked into a baking soda bath before taking a ride in the oven.īut if you’re like me and tend to lean towards cooking over baking, the idea of making “bread” may seem daunting. In its purest form, pretzels are simply bread. There’s something remarkably satisfying about making soft pretzels from scratch.
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