GRANDFATHER MAYNARD'S SOFT PRETZELS FOR HURRICANES

GRANDFATHER MAYNARD'S SOFT PRETZELS FOR HURRICANES

I made these for the first time in October, 2024, as Hurricane Mitchel was headed toward us.  Soft pretzels seemed better than buying 12 bags of Cheetos for Hurricane Snacks!

You can freeze them and keep for 3 months.  Simply cool them and stack between sheets of parchment paper, then put them in a 2 gallon freezer bag or larger.

INGREDIENTS 

Pretzel Dough:

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tsp dry active yeast
• 2 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons of flour of bread flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

Baking Soda Solution:

• 2 cups of warm water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda

Topping:

• 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (for dipping after baking)
• coarse pretzel salt (for topping before baking)

How To Make Soft Pretzels:

        PART 1 - THE DOUGH 

1. Heat the 1/2 cup of milk and water to 105°F.
2. Stir in the yeast and allow it to proof for 5 minutes.
3. While the yeast is proofing, combine the
   
   • 2 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons of flour of bread flour,
   • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 
   • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder,
   • and 2 tablespoons melted butter.  
4. Pour in the proofed yeast mixture and knead for a 2 to 4 minutes until the dough comes together into a ball. The dough should be slightly tacky.
5. Grease the top and let it rise for 45 minutes until doubled.

   
   PART 2 - KEEPING BUSY WHILE THE DOUGH FINISHES RISING 

   
   
6. Prepare the baking solution by combining in a bowl 2 cups of baking soda and 1 cup of warm water.
7. Prepare your work area with some grease.  
8. Prepare for the baking process a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
9. Preheat the oven to 410°F.
   

10. PART 3 - THE DOUGH TAKES ON THE SHAPE OF A PRETZEL
    

    
    
11. Take the dough and place it onto the work area.
12. Using a knife or pizza cutter, make 6 strips of dough. 
13. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and work one piece of dough at a time.
14. Starting in the middle of the strip, stretch the strip of dough out.  Roll it and stretch until you have a length of rope-like dough about the width of your finger and about 30 to 40 inches long.  With all that in mind, also remember this - don't over roll the dough!
15. Now it's time start twisting. Take both ends of the dough strip and hold it in the air so that it forms a u-shape. Keeping your left hand still, take your right hand and wrap it around the left strip, to make a pretzel shape. Pinch the ends down to the bottom of the pretzel to seal the pretzel twist.
16. Repeat this with each length of dough.
17. Once the pretzels have their shape, this is where your baking soda solution comes in. Take each pretzel and dip them into a baking soda solution. This will give them their golden-brown appearance, during baking.
18. After you dip a pretzel, take it out and dry it, and then place pretzels on a lined cookie sheet
19. Place the salt or other toppings on the pretzels.
20. You are almost there!  They’re ready to bake! Put the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for about 7 minutes.
21. Brush or dip warm baked pretzels in melted butter before serving. 
22. Enjoy these butter pretzels with a pretzels cheese dip.