Perfect Pretzel Rolls

As promised I took pictures and secured the recipe for the fabulous pretzel rolls Justin taught me to make over the holidays. Many chefs these days are using artisanal breads and rolls for sandwiches with delicious fillings. I think fig, proscuitto, brie, arugula and honey mustard would be delicious on these. If you don't want to make them as rolls I think you cold probably roll them a little thinner and make plain soft pretzels, additionally some chefs will make them unsalted which are great as well. One tip, try to find a kitchen scale to measure, Martha Stewart sells a great one. I used a convection oven for these if you have a traditional oven you may need to play with the temp and time !

Dough cut into sections

rolling the dough before the twist

after the twist

immersion in the baking soda & water

On parchment awaiting eggwash and salt

fresh from the oven

close up of deliciousness !

cooked to perfection !

Pretzel Rolls


Preheat convection oven to 450 degrees

In the bowl of a stand mixer add -

~ 1 1/2 c Warm Water (105 degrees is perfect)
~ 2 tsp Salt
~ 3 Tbsp Sugar

Stir to combine then sprinkle on top:

~ 2 1/4 tsp (or 1 packet) yeast

do not stir
wait 5-10 minutes for the yeast to foam (it will appear to cover the surface of the liquid)

When it has foamed, add:

~ 2 Tbsp butter, melted
~ 22 oz (by weight!) All Purpose Flour

Knead on medium speed with dough hook until smooth and elastic, no lumps or tears should be evident in the dough and it should not be sticky when you poke it.  If you press your thumb in to it, the dough should be firm and spring back.  This kneading should take about 8 minutes.  If the dough crawls up on the dough hook and just spins around the bowl, stop the mixer, pull it off the hook, and start it again.

Place in a greased bowl covered tightly with saran wrap and wait 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile in your wide Sautoir pan (wide bottom pan with straight sides)

Bring EXACTLY

~ 10 c water to boil

Then add (EXACTLY)

~ 2/3 c Baking Soda

Quickly portion the dough in to 8 pieces (I make a disc and cut it like a pie), knot however you like, and place 1 - 3 at a time in the water, cook until the dough turns slighly yellow and firms (about 30 seconds, no longer than 1 minute).  Remove to a WELL greased parchment lined sheet pan (if you cook with a sheet pan on the bottom shelf it needs to be doubled up, meaning 2 pans thick to prevent burning).

Brush pretzels with a mixture of 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water and sprinkle heavily with kosher salt (as desired).  Bake 12 minutes, switching pans top and bottom shelf halfway through.

When desired color reached remove from oven to cooling rack, remove from parchment and enjoy!