Pretzel Rolls

 

 

These pretzel rolls—they are so good and make an awesome accompaniment to a soup or stew.  I have several dinner roll recipes that we enjoy often, but these were such a fun departure from those!  Besides the fact that they’re so darn cute, they actually taste like a soft pretzel!  I’ve tried a few soft pretzel recipes in the past that have just been okay, but these rolls are it.  They have that beautiful brown hue and have a legit pretzel taste.  Really, I don’t have a whole lot more to say about these, except that you should try them ASAP!

 

 

Pretzel Rolls

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 2 cups warm milk (about 100-110 degrees F)
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 100-110 degrees F)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 1/2 - 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

  Water Bath and Extras:

• 3 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• Coarse salt for sprinkling

 

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or you can do this by hand in a large bowl), stir together the yeast, oil, milk and water. Add the salt and two cups of the flour. Add the rest of the flour gradually until a soft dough is formed and knead for 3-4 minutes. Add enough flour so that a soft dough is formed that clears the sides of the bowl. *I had to add a little additional flour to make the dough workable, but I was careful to keep it very soft. 
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with greased plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours).
3. Portion the dough into 16 pieces and roll each piece of dough into a little round ball.
4. Lay out the rolls on lightly greased parchment or a lightly floured counter. Make sure the dough balls won't stick! Let them rest for 15-20 minutes.
5. While the dough rests, bring the water, sugar and baking soda to a boil in a large 5-6 quart saucepan.
6. Working with one piece of dough at a time, carefully take it off the parchment or counter, flip it over in your hand and pinch the bottom to form a little pucker and help the dough form a nice, taut ball. Take care not to deflate the dough; you should pinch just the very edge of the dough.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
8. Place 3-4 dough balls in the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side (the longer you boil, the chewier the baked pretzel roll will be).
9. With a spatula, remove the dough from the boiling water and let the excess water drip off into the pan. Place the boiled dough balls onto well greased or lined baking sheets. 
10. Using a very sharp knife or razor, slice 2-3 cuts into the top of each unbaked roll about 1/4-inch deep. It's important to use a very sharp blade so that it cuts the dough without deflating it. Lightly sprinkle each dough ball with coarse salt.
11. Bake for 20-22 minutes until the rolls are deep golden brown. These rolls are best enjoyed the day they are made.

 

source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe