I can’t stand the crunchy kind. Ryan, however, loves them…and I’ve seen Lucy reach for those brown salty sticks. I would only eat a bag if someone paid me (and a good sum at that). But I have an entirely different relationship with soft pretzels. Warm, buttery, doughy. Twisted again and again to allow for the contrast of caramel exterior and white interior. Give me a hot soft pretzel, and I’m in heaven.
Ryan and I started making soft pretzels at home after a trip to see his family out east. The procedure can seem daunting at first. You have to boil your pretzels in a baking soda/water mixture if you want them to have that classic crust. But besides that added step, making soft pretzels isn’t difficult. In fact, I can’t think of a more relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
These soft pretzels are made with both whole wheat flour and honey. They’re slightly sweeter than what you might find on the streets of Philadelphia but they’re just as doughy and delicious. If not more.
Honey Wheat Soft Pretzels
*Adapted from Food Network
1 1/3 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package fast acting yeast
11 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 1/4 cups
11 ounces whole wheat flour, approximately 2 1/4 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt
Combine the water, salt, yeast, flour, butter and honey. 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.
Oh Lordy these look good. I also hate the crispy type, I am a soft pretzel girl for sure!!!
I have never made pretzels, but you have inspired me. Yours look perfect! I bet the combo of wheat flour and a.p.flour results in very nice flavor. It certainly adds nutritional value, something we all need to think about. Congratulations on some very enticing work!
I don’t discriminate – I love all pretzels, hard or soft!
i have never made pretzels before but i do like them with mustard 🙂 you are tempting me now to tackle this at home.
My husband loves a bag of pretzels. We always have to have one in the house. I am with you though. I love the soft ones. If they are warm, the better. These look great!
Ok. let me get this straight. You have a young baby to take care of. You are dealing with a new job. And all the stress associated with it all.
then, you bake a batch of soft pretzels.
I will now say goodbye and go see a shrink about my inferiority complex syndrome 😉
I’ve had soft pretzels on my bucket list for quite a while now, and yours are really inspiring me here. They look perfect! I love the flavor combination, too. I can’t wait to make some! 🙂
Soft pretzels are the best! These really take ma back to high school–although they are obviously far superior to the ones I bought in the cafeteria. 🙂 Yay!
I love making pretzels. I feel like they shouldn’t even have the same name as the crunchy bagged kind.
so funny-I prefer crunchy pretzels over soft! That said, I do occasionally indulge, and Michael’s a fan, and I just love your version. Honey wheat soft pretzels sound divine!
I’ve wanted to make homemade soft pretzels for a long time Monet. These look wonderful!
I wanted to make pretzels for some time now, but I feel that the whole process is kind complicated and time consuming. I loved your photos! I think they motivated me
Remember those soft cinnamon sugar pretzels they used to sell at Costco? I used to get them every day after swim practice–now that they stopped selling them, this recipe is perfect. Thank you!
Oh my goodness, these pretzels look incredible Monet! I love soft pretzels but have never made them before – yours are just perfect 🙂
Oh wow, these look perfect! I can imagine how much lovely flavor the honey and whole wheat add. Yum!
Yummy! Making soft pretzels at home or any boiled-dough recipe is definitely on my culinary bucket list. When I was younger, I worked in a bagel shop for a while, and I loved watching the bagels get boiled before they went into the oven. I’ve always been curious to give it a try at home. : )
Wow these look fantastic! I have on my list to make homemade giant pretzels this weekend. Loving how crusty these look!
I love soft pretzels, I have been meaning to make them for a long time. Your addition of honey sounds delicious.
I love soft pretzels too! Crunchy not so much. These look fabulous! And I love that they are whole wheat!
These look delicious! What if you don’t have a dough hook?
The idea of spending Saturday afternoon baking together is blissful. How wonderful that you take the time to enjoy each other’s company, now that there are three!
These pretzels looks awesome, Monet! My son would flip for them…he likes crunchy and soft kinds. : )
Oh yum! Love pretzels {crunchy and baked ;)} I’ve never had whole wheat before, yours look so soft and delicious! Love the addition of honey.
Monet, how do you do it?! Work, taking care of a baby, cooking, baking, blogging – you’re super woman! I don’t think I could do even a quarter of what you do in the time it takes you to do it. I saw the photos of these gorgeous, beautiful, perfect pretzels and I was blown away. I’m going to print this recipe out so that I can try it asap. I love soft pretzels!
I have to try and make these! They remind me of visits to all sorts of places overseas 🙂
I’m with you – I LOVE soft pretzels but the crunchy kind I’m only meh about. These look amazing – love that you have whole wheat flour in them! Hope you are having a great long weekend Monet!
I love pretzels any way, any time. 🙂 Your soft ones are gorgeous!!!
Well, I think you’ve totally perfected the art of pretzel making. These look so wonderful. I prefer soft pretzels, but have grown to love crunchy ones as well. 🙂
I’m all about the soft pretzels too. Especially when they’re still warm from the oven, such a comforting treat… These look fantastic! I have a craving now :/
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