Philly Style Pretzel Dough Recipes

ALMOST-FAMOUS SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Make the pretzels: Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat; place on a wire rack to let excess butter drip off. Serve the pretzels warm with the sweet mustard sauce.
• Illustration by Jason Lee

SOFT HOMEMADE PRETZELS

Steps:

• Stir yeast into 1 cup warm water in a large bowl; beat in flour, sugar, shortening, and salt to make a dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
• Place dough into a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and divide into 12 equal-size pieces. Roll each piece into a rope 18 to 20 inches long.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Shape each rope of dough into a pretzel on the prepared baking sheet; let pretzels rest for 5 minutes. Beat egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and brush yolk mixture over each pretzel; sprinkle each with coarse salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pretzels are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

THE BEST PHILADELPHIA SOFT PRETZELS EVER

Steps:

• In mixing bowl add warm water and yeast. Stir until the yeast is completely dissolved.
• Add the sugar. Stir. Gradually stir in the flour. The dough will become stiff and dry. That's what you want.
• Sprinkle some flour on the counter or on a board. Flour your hands, too. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
• Form the dough into a ball. Place the ball of dough back in the bowl and cover the bowl with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, dark place for at least 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
• While the dough rises, heat the oven to 400F degrees. Grease or butter a cookie sheet.
• Fill a saucepan half full of water, add the baking soda, and bring the water to a slow boil.
• When the dough is finished rising, put it on a floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a square shape, about 1/4-1/2 inch (6-10 mm) thick. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch (or so) wide strips. They don't have to be perfect.
• Twist each strip into a pretzel shape, pinching the ends so they don't fall apart. Be careful not to let the strips stretch too thin as you handle them.
• Place a pretzel on a spatula and lower it into the boiling water for 5-10 seconds. It will puff up and float. Use the spatula to remove the pretzel from the water. Place the pretzel on the greased cookie sheet. Repeat this with the other pretzels.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg for 1 minute. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each pretzel with the egg. Sprinkle salt over the pretzels.
• Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve with warmed mustard or melted cheese. YUM!

PHILLY STYLE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl.
• Stir in teaspoon salt, sugar and 2-cups of flour.
• Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour t make dough easy to handle.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic. (about 5-minutes).
• Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover: let rise until doubled (about 60-minutes). Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.
• Heat oven to 425°.
• Punch down dough and cut into 16-equal parts. Roll each part into a rope about 18� long. Twist each rope into a pretzel shape.
• Brush pretzels with beaten egg and sprinkle coarse salt. Bake until pretzels are golden brown (about 15-20 minutes).
• If using self-rising flour omit 1-teaspoon of salt.

PHILLY-STYLE PRETZELS

Steps:

• Mix the sugar, water and yeast; stir to dissolve.
• (If you're using instant yeast, skip this step, simply combining all of the ingredients at once.) Add the white wheat flour, malt, salt, and enough unbleached flour to make a soft (but not sticky) dough.
• Knead well, place in a bowl, and let rise till doubled.
• Divide the dough into 16 pieces.
• Roll each piece into a log, and shape the logs into pretzels.
• In a large pot, boil together 6 cups of water and 2 tablespoons baking soda.
• Put 4 pretzels at a time into the boiling water, and cook for 1 minute.
• Transfer boiled pretzels to a lightly greased baking sheet.
• When all the pretzels have been cooked, paint them with an egg glaze (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water) and sprinkle with salt or seeds (if desired), then bake in a preheated 450°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the pretzels are well-browned.

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
• Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
• In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
• Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

PRETZEL DOUGH

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve.
• Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic.
• Let rise at least 1/2 hour.
• While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp baking soda.
• Be certain to stir often.
• After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape.
• Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet.
• Allow pretzels to rise again.
• Bake in oven at 450 for about 10 minutes or until golden.
• Brush with melted butter and enjoy!
• Toppings: After you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt.

PHILLY STYLE PRETZEL DOUGH

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast on the 1 1/2 cups warm water in mixing bowl and agitate slightly to dissolve. Add the sugar and dissolve.
• Add the flours and salt, knead until smooth and elastic.
• Let rise until doubled, about an hour. The card didn't specify if it should be covered or not.
• When the dough is almost done rising, make the baking soda bath with the baking soda and 2 cups warm water. Make sure to stir it often!
• After the dough has risen, punch the air out of it.
• Divide the dough into 12 pieces on a clean surface, roll into a long rope about 1/2 inch thick, and shape-- such as circles, twists, nuggets, hearts, traditional shape, etc.
• For traditional pretzel shape, shape the rope like a U cross the two ends over each other, pull the ends down and attach them at the bottom of the U.
• Carefully dip each pretzel in the the baking soda bath for 20 seconds, and place on a greased baking sheet.
• Allow the pretzels to rise again til doubled in size-- not listed on the recipe card (they need to describe some of these recipes better!) but I am assuming it to be roughly another 60 minutes because the prep time is listed as 120 minutes total.
• Bake at 450F for about 10 minutes or until golden-brown.
• Now here's the fun part-- brushing and seasoning/decorating! Melted butter and olive oil work for brushing, about 4 tablespoons (more or less depending on how much you like) will work for 12 pretzels, that's what is listed on the recipe card but I decided not to include it because some people may not want to brush it on. If youdidn't bake your toppings on, brush with butter and oil and proceed with your own ideas or the ones I and the magazine suggest.
• For toppings, kosher salt is the main one for traditional pretzels. But why not try a cinnamon-sugar mixture like coarse pearl sugar and primo quality cinnamon? Sesame seeds, or a mix of black and toasted sesame seeds by themselves or with some garam masala and olive oil. Garlic salt and parmesan cheese (the powdery kind!) for Italian pretzels, with your favorite pizza or pasta sauce as a dipper! Use your favorite herbs, fresh or dried! Dulce de leche sauce and dried apples for gourmet pretzels! The sky's the limit!

CHEWY PHILADELPHIA-STYLE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, heat milk just until bubbles form around the edge; remove from the heat and stir in brown sugar. Stir until dissolved then set aside. Meanwhile, combine warm water and yeast. Let stand for 3 minutes then add the cooled milk mixture. Beat in flour until smooth. Cover and set aside for 45 minutes to rise.
• Stir down the dough then gradually add flour, baking powder, and salt. Place on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Roll into a 16' x 10-inch rectangle then cut into 1/2-inch wide strips. Roll each strip into a rope and twist into large pretzels. Let rise about 30 minutes.
• Bring a large kettle of salted water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lower the pretzels gently into the boiling water for about 5 seconds then remove and place 2-inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
• Beat egg and water and lightly brush the pretzel tops. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.