Hot Pretzels

Back during the early days of COVID lockdown, when everyone was stuck at home and rummaging through the fridge all day, I quickly realized that scheduled family mealtimes would be necessary to add some much-needed structure to our days.

While we were busy experimenting with all the flour and yeast we could hoard, these pretzels made it to our weekly rotation. They’re simple to make, delicious eaten fresh, and something that everyone agreed to eat!

Now, with Shabbos ending early, it’s the perfect thing to whip up for Melaveh Malkah.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Yields 9 medium-size pretzels

1 pkg (2¹⁄₄ tsp) yeast

1¹⁄₂ cups warm water

1¹⁄₂ tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

3³⁄₄–4 cups flour

1 large egg

¹⁄₄ cup baking soda

toppings such as coarse sea salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced dried garlic, and cinnamon-sugar

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Dissolve yeast in warm water, stirring with a spoon until well mixed. Add salt and sugar and mix well. Slowly add 3 cups of flour. Mix until dough is thick. Add the remaining ³⁄₄ cup of flour until dough is no longer sticky.

Turn dough onto the counter and continue to knead. Knead for at least 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed.

Separate dough into 9 equal balls (if you’d like larger pretzels, make fewer balls).

Roll each piece of dough into a rope approximately 20 inches (50 cm) long. Shape into a circle with 2 “tails.” Twist the tails and fold towards the top of the circle, then pinch to hold. (In other words, make a pretzel shape.) Place all 9 pretzels on one of the prepared baking sheets.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg for the egg wash.

Fill a large pot with 9 cups water and ¹⁄₄ cup baking soda. Bring to a boil and dip each pretzel into the water for a maximum of 30 seconds.

Remove pretzels, dunk fully in egg wash, place on the second baking sheet, and sprinkle with topping of your choice.

Bake for 12 minutes. Turn oven to broil, and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Watch that the pretzels don’t burn.

Serve with honey mustard or your favorite dip. Best eaten fresh!

Tips: The baking soda bath is what give pretzels their signature crust. If you’re a fan of pretzel challah or buns, use this same technique with your challah dough.

Also, this recipe may seem complicated, but it only takes 30 minutes from beginning to end to prepare the pretzels.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 722)