There was a time in my life when I made many types of bread from scratch (sandwich bread, bagels, pizza dough, english muffins…). Bread making is a lot of fun and can be very therapeutic. The comforting smell of fresh baked bread is unrivaled. These days, I’m a tad bit busier and have to take a few short cuts. One of those “cheats” is to buy frozen bread dough. It usually comes in a bag of three, one pound loaves which can be taken out, thawed and used whenever you need them. A while back I had to do some quickie entertaining and bought the bread dough to use as a substitute for pizza dough. I made some really yummy BBQ Chicken Pizzas with two of the loaves (should I post that recipe?) and the third loaf has been waiting in my freezer for it’s 15 minutes of fame ever since.

I decided to try my hand at pretzel making. Now, the dough I used is actually for white bread which is lighter and fluffier than pretzel dough would be. The end result is a really really soft pretzel. I used Alton Brown’s pretzel recipe (minus the dough making steps) which includes boiling the unbaked pretzels in a baking soda solution. This step is pivotal to creating that authentic pretzel flavor so don’t be tempted to skip it. If you do, you’ll just end up with dinner rolls in the shape of a pretzels. Which is fine, if you like that sort of thing. I guess.

Here is a video clip of Alton’s “Pretzel Logic” episode where he explains why the pretzels are boiled in a baking soda solution. It’s a fun clip, check it out!

The pretzels I made here are plain with a light sprinkling of kosher salt. Getting creative with the toppings will make this recipe really fun and delicious. Some ideas are: garlic powder, parmesan cheese, pickled jalapenos (press into the dough after boiling but before baking), sesame seeds, melted butter, cinnamon and sugar (after baking)… The sky is the limit. Then there are the dipping sauce possibilities… oh my.

Total Recipe cost: $1.31
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Cost per serving: $0.16 per pretzel
Prep time: 45 min. Cook time: 25 min. Total: 1 hr 10 min. (45 minutes passive time)

STEP 1: Let the bread dough thaw in the refrigerator for about 6-8 hours. You can thaw it on your counter top but you need to make sure to begin making the pretzels as soon as the loaf is soft all the way through but has not began to rise. If the dough rises before you form the pretzels, they will not rise as much later.

STEP 2: Cut the thawed dough into 8 equal parts (about 2 oz. each). Using a small amount of flour, roll the dough pieces out into 24 inch ropes. Remember making clay snakes when you were a child? Use the same technique here. I found that if the dough was too coated in flour, it wouldn’t roll on the counter, it would just slide back and forth and get flat. Form each rope into a pretzel shape by making a “U” with the rope then twisting the two loose ends around each other once.

STEP 3: Bring 5 cups of water and 1/3 cup of baking soda to a boil in a deep skillet. Once it reaches a rolling boil, drop the pretzels in and boil on each side for 30 seconds. I did this in a three pretzel rotation (3 pretzels in the pan at once). When you remove the pretzels from the water, place them on a cooling rack so the excess water can drain away. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees as the pretzels drain. A wide spatula with slats is the perfect tool for transferring the raw pretzels to and from the boiling water.

STEP 4: Once the pretzel bottoms are no longer soggy, transfer them to a baking sheet with either parchment paper or tin foil coated with non-stick spray. Mix one egg yolk with 1 Tbsp of water and brush onto the pretzels. Sprinkle salt or whatever other toppings you want onto your pretzels at this time (the yolk glaze helps the toppings stick and makes the nice shiny brown color).

STEP 5: Bake the pretzels for 15 minutes, turning once during the cooking process. Let the pretzels cool enough to handle then dip into some yummy sauces! …And maybe pour yourself a tall cold one!

Step By Step Photos

This is the dough that I used. You can usually find it in the freezer section hiding on the bottom shelf near the frozen biscuits, rolls and texas toast.

Using a sharp knife, cut the thawed dough into 8 equal pieces. It is easiest to just cut it evenly in half first, then cut each half into half again then each quarter into halves once more.

Roll the pieces out into 24 inch long snakes/ropes using your hands then fold into a pretzel shape. Be patient with the dough, it will want to retract as you stretch it but each time you stretch/roll it, there will be less shrinking back.

Let the pretzels rest for about 30 minutes before boiling in the baking soda solution. Here is the first pretzel boiling. Because they were delicate and took some care to get onto the spatula, I boiled them in a rotation. After the second one was in, I flipped the first one. After the third one was in, I removed the first one and flipped the second one etc. Boil each pretzel for about 30 seconds on each side.

This is what they look like after they have been boiled and drained. They will poof up slightly as they boil. Mix together the egg yolk and 1 Tbsp of water and brush over the tops of the pretzels. Sprinkle with kosher salt and whatever other toppings you would like.

Bake the pretzels for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. They will poof up quite a bit as they bake and turn a nice glossy brown color. Beautiful!

I remember making pretzels like this at a friend’s birthday party as a child. It is a great activity for kids and introduces them to the science and art of cooking. Let them form their own pretzels and choose their topping but have an adult do the boiling and baking. It’s really fun (even for me) to watch the pretzels rise and change color through the window on the oven!

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