Pretzel Rolls

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I have to admit, I have a slight obsession with soft pretzels! Anytime I get within ten feet of one I must have it! 😉 The pretzel bites at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, the original pretzel at Auntie Anne’s, braided pretzels with a crock of cheese at Broad Ripple Brew Pub…all my weaknesses. So on Monday night when I was making my baked potato soup I thought to myself, what better kind of bread with this creamy soup than pretzel rolls? Knowing that I had not seen a recipe for one in any of my cookbooks, I headed online to foodgawker to find a yummy recipe for pretzel rolls. To my surprise I only found five recipes on the website! I looked at all five and chose my favorite recipe. Shaping the pretzel rolls takes a few tries to get use to, here is a great website on how to shape dinner rolls. After you get the hang of shaping the dough it is smooth sailing. Let them sit for a second rise and you are ready for the fun part-poaching and baking! The fun part only because it means one thing-you are closer to eating one of these scupmptous rolls. Mmmmm! Once you have the water at a low boil, add the baking soda SLOWLY! Don’t just throw it in the pot like I have done too many times to count! Otherwise you will have a pot overflowing with boiling water all over your stovetop and a huge mess to clean up! Once the pretzels are poached, brush throughly with a lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with pretzel salt (or koher salt). Pop these babies in the oven and get ready for some mighty awesome pretzel rolls! I promise you will make these over and over again! 🙂

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Pretzel Rolls

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water, 110°F
1 package active dry yeast, not quick rise yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup baking soda
large saucepan of water
1 egg, lightly beaten
pretzel salt

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Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the water and the yeast and let rest 5 minutes until foamy.
Add the sugar, flour, salt, and butter; mix with the dough hook until thoroughly combined.
Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
Cut the dough into 18 pieces (2 ounces each). To shape, take a piece of dough and start forming a round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal.
Place, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling the ball around the palm of your hand.
Place on baking sheet pinched seam side down at least 1” between each roll. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled.
Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven racks on the lowest and middle positions.
In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil. Add the baking soda and lower heat to a simmer. Put the rolls into the poaching liquid, seam side down. Poach for 30 seconds then carefully turn the roll over in the liquid. Poach other side for 30 seconds then remove with a slotted spoon to the same prepared sheet pans, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
With a pastry brush, glaze each roll with the lightly beaten egg making sure to coat all sides completely. Top each roll with a sprinkle of pretzel salt. With a sharp straight edged knife, cut a slash or “X” in the top of each roll.
Bake the rolls in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.