Today is National Pretzel Day.  I know, there is a special day for virtually everything these days, but in times like these, it’s fun to have something to look forward to!  A bag of crunchy pretzels works just fine to celebrate with but I’m thinking a chewy and warm pretzel is the way to go.

Soft pretzels are my favorite treat!  I don’t make them often but when I do, I always wonder why I don’t make them more often…. it’s a vicious cycle.  However you plan on celebrating is up to you, but I do want to share a few recipes with you to try.

• Homemade Soft Pretzels w/ Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce
• Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites w/ Beer Cheese Sauce
• Buffalo Cheddar Soft Pretzel Twists

 

Homemade Soft Pretzels w/ Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce are soft, chewy, warm, and have a wonderful butter flavor.  The Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce is your standard pretzel sauce.  It’s sweet and tangy and pairs perfectly with a pretzel.

The recipe can be found here.

You’ll want to use a stand mixer to make these pretzels.  You can mix the dough by hand, but your arms will be quite sore!

Add the warm water and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes.  This helps the yeast activate and it might look a little frothy.  Add the honey and mix to combine.

In a large bowl, add the flour and salt and whisk together.  Add this to the stand mixer and use the dough hook to combine.  The dough will need to knead for about 5 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.

Lightly coat the inside of a bowl with oil and place the dough inside.  Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for about 1 ½ hours.  You want the dough to double in size.

If your house is warmer, it might not take this long.  Just pay attention to how large the dough is.  Depending on the time of year at my house, it can be a bit cooler and harder for dough to rise.  I like to heat the oven to 200 degrees and place the bowl on top.  The warmth from the oven helps the dough to rise.

After the dough has doubled in size. Gently knead the dough for about 1 minute.  Then return it to the bowl, loosely cover, and let it rise for an additional 45 minutes.

After the 45 minutes has passed, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

I like to use a large pot to boil the pretzels.  I add 12 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, I add the baking soda.  Use 1 Tbsp of baking soda for 2 cups of water.  If you are using a smaller pot, adjust the amount of baking soda you add.

While the water is heating, divide the dough into 8 equal parts.  Roll each piece of dough into a long rope then twist into the shape of a pretzel.

Gently add 1-2 pretzels to the boiling water for about 60 seconds.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the pretzel and drain over the pot.  Place on the baking sheet and continue to boil the rest of the pretzels.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg.  Then brush the egg over each pretzel.  One egg will be plenty for 8 pretzels!  Sprinkle each pretzel with sea salt (or any salt you have, I just like the large pieces of salt).

Bake the pretzels for about 12-15 minutes or until they turn golden brown.  If the pretzels are burning or the tops are getting too dark just reduce the oven temp to about 350 and continue to bake for another 2-3 minutes.

Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush with the melted butter.  I like to let the pretzels cool slightly so I’m able to eat them without burning my hands!  But, feel free to dig right in if you can’t wait!

Prepare the Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Nothing too complicated here, just stirring 🙂

Serve the pretzels warm with the dipping sauce on the side.  Yum!

The recipe can be found here.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese Sauce are great for a party or bite-sized snack! This recipe makes a ton of pretzel bites, each as soft, salty, and chewy as the previous one.  The Beer Cheese Sauce is great for dipping and pairs well with the pretzels but can also be used as a sauce on food or for tortilla chips.

The recipe can be found here.

I also recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe, if you have one.  Add the water, brown sugar, yeast, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for 5 minutes.  Add the salt and flour and mix to combine.  You want the mixer to continue kneading the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  If the dough is too sticky and wet, add additional flour, about 1 Tbsp at a time.

Next, I remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand for a few minutes.  You want the dough to have a “stretchy” texture.  If you stretch the dough and it pulls apart in chunks, knead a bit longer.  Coat the dough in oil, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise.  You want the dough to double in size, which takes about 1 hour.  Same as before, if you have a warmer house this might be a faster process but if you have a colder house you might need to preheat the oven to help the dough rise.

Once the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Start boiling 3 quarts of water in a pot over medium heat.  Spray 1-2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a long rope, about 22-inches long.  Cut the dough into one-inch pieces.

Add the baking soda to the boiling water.  Boil the pretzel bites in the water in small batches, about 15 pretzels at a time, for about 30 seconds.  Use a slotted spoon to remove and drain the pretzels.  Place on the baking sheets and spread apart to make sure the pretzels aren’t touching.  Repeat until all pretzels have been boiled.

Brush the tops with the egg wash and season with salt.  I’m pretty liberal with the salt but add as much or as little as you like!

Bake for 15-18 or until golden brown.  Let sit for about 5 minutes then use a spatula to remove from the baking sheet.

Make the Beer Cheese Sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan.  Whisk in the flour.

Slowly pour in the cream and beer while whisking to prevent any lumps from forming.

Stir in the cheese until melted then remove from the heat and add the additional seasoning.

Serve warm with the pretzel bites.  So good!

The recipe can be found here.

Buffalo Cheddar Soft Pretzel Twists are full of melted cheese in every bite and have the perfect combination of toast, salty, and savory flavor.  You can eat these as is or you can use buffalo sauce for dipping.  Any other dipping sauces you think would pair well?

The recipe can be found here.

I sound like a broken record, but I recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe.  My arms seriously couldn’t handle the dough!

Combine the water, brown sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combine.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Next, add the melted butter, salt, and flour to the bowl and mix on low until combined.  Then increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  If the dough is too sticky and wet, add additional flour, 1 Tbsp at a time.

Coat the dough in oil, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise.  You want the dough to double in size, which takes about 1 hour.  Same as before, if you have a warmer house this might be a faster process but if you have a colder house you might need to preheat the oven to help the dough rise.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Divide the dough in half and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/4 -inch thick.  I think it’s easier to work with half the dough at a time.  Cut the dough into 8 strips that are about ½-inch wide.

Spread buffalo sauce on each strip.  Then, wrap the dough around a cheese stick, with the buffalo sauce on the inside.  Press down to seal the dough on both ends.  Repeat until all pretzels have been formed (use both pieces of dough).  You should have 16 pretzels.

Add the baking soda to the boiling water.  Add 1-2 pretzels to the water and boil for 30 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain over the pot.  Place on the prepared baking sheet.  Continue until all pretzels have been boiled.  (You might want to use 2 baking sheets to allow plenty of room for the pretzels without touching)

Brush each pretzel with egg wash and sprinkle with Everything Spice.  I like to make my own Everything Spice but you can also use store-bought.  If you are making your own, combine the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, and salt in a bowl.  Use this mixture to sprinkle over each pretzel.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pretzels are golden brown.  Let the pretzels sit for at least 5 minutes before eating.  Don’t forget – there is super-hot, melted cheese inside, and you don’t want to burn yourself!  Serve warm with extra buffalo sauce on the side for dipping.  Delicious!

The recipe can be found here.

I hope you spend National Pretzel Day enjoying pretzels and appreciating their place in your life, and possibly educating yourself on the history of pretzels.  Either way, I hope you enjoy these recipes and can celebrate in your own way!

Happy Cooking!