Twisted Treats: Soft Pretzels for Autumn

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Late September is a great time of the fall where I live. It’s past the stifling, sweaty dog days of summer, yet still warm enough to partake in outdoor fall activities like apple picking and the ever-divisive iced pumpkin spice latte (feel free to judge, I’m totally comfortable in my basic-ness.)

Despite the name, the German celebration of Oktoberfest traditionally takes place this time too, from mid/late September to the first week of October. This year it starts today, September 17th! Originally a celebration of the wedding of the Crown Prince of Bavaria in 1810, the festival expanded to include celebrating the harvest. Today it’s known for its beer, particularly Martzens and other Oktoberfest-specific beer types. But besides lager, what does Oktoberfest make me think of? German foods… in this case, the soft pretzel.

Some years I can have an interest in lagers, other years they just don’t do it for me. But I will never say no to a soft pretzel. So in honor of this time, I usually make hot pretzels at home from either a mix or from scratch. The first mix I ever used was a gift from a family friend, who has brought us many packages of that delicious mix. It also had a horse and buggy on the package which made me feel like I was back in PA Dutch country, carefully navigating around the slower vehicles with their steady animals.

Lately I’ve been making pretzels more and more from scratch as I’ve found new recipes to incorporate in with the oldie goldies. Plus, although chasing the perfect twist shape on these puppies is rarely satisfying in the outcome (I see you, uneven ends), it’s a worthy challenge nonetheless.

One way to spice up (literally) your pretzel game is to add a sweet or savory flavor to the top instead of salt. Feeling brave and ready to be immersed in fall flavors? Then I recommend the Spiced Vanilla Sugar from The Spice House. They’re in Chicago but do ship out of state. I will 100% keep mentioning them not just because I am affiliated with them, but because our most-beloved spices come from them. My husband’s family has been hooked on their array of flavors for decades, and now we are too.

In our household, my husband prefers a traditional salted pretzel over flavors, but for those of us who like an extra seasonal touch this rub is perfect. I like to make batches half and half so everyone gets their wish!

Ingredients:

1 yeast packet (or 2-1/4 teaspoons if you, like me, were unfortunate enough to have your store run out of the packets. Why would I want a whole jar at once? Why? Unfathomable.)
1 c warm water (110-115 degrees)
3 c flour
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs butter ( I use salted, because a pretzel can always use more salt.)
1 egg (for wash)
1/4-1/3 c baking soda + 2 qt boiling water

Directions:

Whisk water, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Make sure water is 110-115 degrees, to activate your yeast but not be so hot as to kill it. Get the ingredients added quickly so that the water doesn’t cool down by the time you’re ready to add the yeast.

Sprinkle yeast on top, and wait 5 minutes for it to begin frothing.

Yeast beginning to froth

Add the flour and butter to the bowl.

Mix.

Knead the dough for 7 minutes.

Let rest in an oiled bowl, covered, in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

I placed my dough in an (turned off) warm oven. It was a little too warm and dried out my dough a little too much, so be careful with that.

Cut into 8 equal-ish pieces.

Roll out 20” ropes. Shape into pretzels.

Boil baking soda in water in a large pot. Be careful as adding baking soda to boiling water will cause it to bubble up and spray water. Turn down to a simmer.

Carefully use a slotted spoon or spatula to dip each pretzel into the baking soda bath for 5 seconds.

Take a sharp knife and slash the thickest parts of the pretzel.

Hello, troublesome right corner. You will either burn or be extra delicious and crunchy.

Brush with egg wash.

Sprinkle with salt or topping of choice.

Bake 10-13 minutes at 425 degrees F. I do two separate trays, one after the other for an even bake.

Remove from tray and serve.

These pretzels can be re-heated but they don’t taste nearly as good. So prepare to eat more than one when they’re fresh, or have a group of friends over to share!

Happy Baking!

This recipe was adapted from Sprinkle Some Sugar.