Pretzel bread has always been one of my favorite breads to eat as I love the sweetness from the dough and the saltiness from the crust. Many years ago a friend had given me a no fail recipe for pretzel bread, when she gave it to me she made me promise to never share the recipe. I always respect someone when they ask me not to share a recipe and have never done so.
Today I tried making a new pretzel bread recipe as I was making hamburger with grilled onions for Fathers Day and thought I’d make it special by putting the burgers on pretzel bread. I searched the internet for a new recipe and found one that I was able to adjust a little, making it my own.
If you have never made pretzel bread, do not fear it, it’s super easy to make. The thing that makes pretzel bread special is when you boil it in baking soda and water, it literally only takes 30 seconds but it changes the consistency of the dough, giving it the texture of pretzel bread.
The first thing to do is “proof” the yeast, place hot water (about 110 degrees and yes I use a thermometer to confirm it’s not too hot), place 1 package of active dry yeast (not instant yeast) into a bowl and wait about 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast (you will see the yeast become a little foamy, this shows the yeast is alive)
Melt the butter, add milk and brown sugar, mix together to allow the brown sugar to melt
In a large bowl add flour, add yeast/water, butter/milk/brown sugar and add salt. Mix together, the dough will be a “wet dough” meaning it will be sticky
Divide your dough into equal portions (I made 8 rolls with this recipe) and shape the dough into the type of roll you desire. Place on a baking sheet that is sprayed and floured (pay attention to the texture in my photos)
Wrap your dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 10 minutes
Uncover from the plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 30 more minutes, you are looking for the dough to be doubled in size
After 30 minutes, bring water to a boil, add baking soda, it will bubble up so add baking soda slowly. Place roll in the water, after 15 seconds flip the dough, after an additional 10-15 seconds remove it from the water
Place on a sprayed baking sheet, slice 2 lines or an “x” on the dough, salt it and bake for 12-15 minutes or until brown
Here are the rolls on the baking sheet
Here is the pretzel bread
Here is the pretzel bread with a hamburger and grilled onions, if you click on the photo it will take you to the recipe for those burgers!
If you are looking for an easy recipe for homemade pretzel bread, then this one if for you! It may appear to be a lot of steps (making bread is a lot of steps) you will find this recipe is great for beginners. Making homemade bread can be difficult because of kneading the dough, with this recipe it’s not necessary to knead the dough and for me, the bread always seems to come out great so you too will find it to be a no fail recipe and a keeper for your recipe box!
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Thank you again ~ Patty Limatola-Tanenbaum
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups Water, 110 degrees
- 1 package Active Dry Yeast (not instant)
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 4 tablespoons Butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons Milk
- 4 1/2 cups Flour
- 2 teaspoons Salt, divided
- 1/4 cup Baking Soda
- 2 quarts Water, boiling
Directions
- Put water in a bowl, add yeast and let "proof" for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile place flour in a large bowl, add melted butter, milk and brown sugar. Add water/yeast and mix until combined. Add 1 teaspoon salt and continue to mix until dough is well incorporated, dough will be sticky and that's fine.
- Divide dough into 8 pieces, shape into bun sized rolls (or divide into 12 small rolls and shape as desired). On a baking sheet that has been sprayed and floured add shaped rolls.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap that is sprayed with pam and let dough sit for 10 minutes.
- Uncover dough, place in a draft free room and let dough rise for 30-45 minutes or until it doubles (look at the photos and look for that consistency).
- 15 minutes into 2nd dough rising, put oven on to 425 degrees. After 30 minutes of rising remove dough, place a pan on the stovetop and let it come to a boil add baking soda.
- Place rolls, one at a time into the boiling water, after 15 seconds flip roll and remove after an additional 15 seconds. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with oil, cut into dough, 2 cuts or an "x" on top, top with salt to your likings.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, remove from oven and enjoy warm or room tempurture. These rolls freeze great as long as they are in a zip lock back.