Moms Famous Pretzels Recipes

SEASONED PRETZELS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• Break the pretzels into pieces. Place them in a large zipped-top bag or in a large bowl. Add the oil and the spices. Shake/stir together very well. Sometimes I shake or it, let it sit for a minute, and shake or stir it again. You want every piece coated very well. If you find there aren't enough spices coating the pretzels, add more spices to your taste.
• Spread the pretzels onto the prepared baking sheet. If they don't all fit in a single layer, use two sheets. Bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
• Pretzels stay fresh covered tightly at room temperature for 3 weeks. They won't last that long!

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
• Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
• In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
• Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

ALMOST-FAMOUS SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Make the pretzels: Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat; place on a wire rack to let excess butter drip off. Serve the pretzels warm with the sweet mustard sauce.
• Illustration by Jason Lee

MOM'S PRETZELS

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over 1 cup of warm water in a bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 10 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
• Stir in 1 1/2 cups of flour, vegetable oil, and table salt, to make a thick, smooth batter. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of flour, and knead the dough on a well-floured surface until elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, cover it with a cloth, and let it rest for 1 hour.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the dough ball into 12 even pieces, and roll each out into a rope about 18 inches long and as thick as a pencil. To shape into pretzels, form a dough piece into a "U" shape, then cross the two tails to make a loop. Spread the two tail ends apart, bring them up, and press the ends into the top of the loop, to form the pretzel shape. Let the formed pretzels rest for 30 minutes on the prepared baking sheet.
• Preheat an oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
• Fill a large saucepan about half full of water, bring to a boil, and stir in the baking soda. Working one at a time, drop each pretzel into the boiling water, and let cook for 1 minute, to give the pretzel a skin. Place the boiled pretzels onto the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle each one with coarse salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pretzels are golden brown, about 12 minutes.

MOTHER LODE PRETZELS

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, cut pretzel rods in half; set aside. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with milk. In a large shallow bowl, combine the chips, toffee bits and walnuts. , Pour caramel mixture into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Dip the cut end of each pretzel piece two-thirds of the way into caramel mixture (reheat in microwave if mixture becomes too thick for dipping). Allow excess caramel to drip off, then roll pretzels in the chip mixture. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in an airtight container.

ALMOST-FAMOUS SOFT PRETZELS (AUNTIE ANNE'S COPY CAT)

Steps:

• Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons of the butter and soften; stir into mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups of flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly flour surface. (If dough seems tight, cover and let rise until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece in the palms of your hands into a 30 inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
• Dissolve the baking soda in the water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter in a shallow dish. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat; place on a wire rack to let excess butter to drip off. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce or cream cheese.