Soft Pretzels with Fresh Milled Flour
These sot pretzels made with fresh milled flour are so amazing, you just have to try them! Whether you prefer sweet or salty, these heavenly snacks will not disappoint. They come together pretty quickly, and ready to eat hot and fresh in no time!
Equipment
- 2 9x13 baking sheets
- 1 large pot to boil water
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 4&1/2 - 5 cups Fresh Milled Flour 540g I milled 180g Kamut and 360g hard white wheat (You may need slightly more or less flour, check the video for the consistency of the dough.)
- 1&3/4 cup warm water 400g
- 2 TBSP Softened Butter 28g room temperature
- 1&3/4 tsp salt
- 1&1/2 tsp instant yeast *see notes for active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp barley malt syrup can substitute brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar or 1 tsp if subbing for barley malt syrup
Boiling Solution
- 16 cups water (1 gallon 3,785g)
- 1/2 cup baking soda 130g
Topping Ingredients
- 2 TBSP Coarse Pretzel Salt 6g or 1/2 cup sugar 100g & 2 TBSP cinnamon
- 5 TBSP melted Butter 71g
Instructions
Make The Dough
- Firstly, mill the flour.
- In a stand mixer, add the warm water, softened butter, salt, and barley malt syrup. Mix until combined.
- Then, add the freshly flour to the wet ingredients. You may need more or less flour, I have a video linked below that shows the consistency of the dough. Mix until there is no dry flour left.
- Once, all the ingredients are mixed together, except the yeast. Cover, and let the dough sit for 15 minutes to allow time for the freshly milled flour to absorb the liquids.
- Now, after the dough has had time to rest, add in the yeast, and mix together. Start the kneading process.
- Depending on your stand mixer, kneading times may vary. But, you want to knead until the dough appears smooth, and stretchy without tearing. Check for window pane, this may take anywhere from 12-25 minutes. Try to resist adding any more flour.
- Once kneaded, cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 30-40 minutes. (We are not looking to double the dough.)
Shaping The Pretzels
- Once the dough has risen, take to a clean surface, and add a little olive oil to it. Then, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.
- Pre-shape each piece into a cylinder or log. Cover each piece and move on to the next piece. Let each log sit for 5-10 minutes before final shaping.
- Then, once each piece has rested a bit, roll out to about a 24 inch long log. The center should be slightly thicker than the ends. If the dough keeps fighting with you and springing back, the logs just need to rest a bit longer before rolling them out.
- To make the pretzel shape, take each end of the log or rope of dough, and twist it twice. Then, take the ends down over the loop part. Press the ends into the dough to make sure they don't release during boiling. (See video for shaping.)
- Place the soft pretzel dough shapes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once they are all shaped, cover and let rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Then, place the covered pretzels in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. This will help the dough firm up and make them hold their shape better during boiling.
Boil, Bake, Toppings
- Preheat the oven to 400*F.
- While the pretzels are chilling, prepare the boiling solution. Combine water & baking soda in a large pot, and bring it to a gentle boil.
- Once the pretzels have had time to chill and are more firm, then boil each one for 10-15 seconds on each side. Don't over crowd the pan, just do one or two at a time.
- Use a large slotted spoon, skimmer, or strainer to flip, and remove from the water bath. Place them back onto the lined baking sheet.
- If using salt, sprinkle with the coarse pretzel salt while they are still wet, before baking. If using cinnamon and sugar, that goes on after baking.
- Bake Pretzels for 14-18 minutes, they should turn a beautiful golden brown.
- After baking, while they are still warm, brush with melted butter.
- If making the cinnamon and sugar ones, roll in the cinnamon and sugar mixture after brushing with butter.
- Lastly, enjoy!
Video
Notes
*How To Use Active Dry Yeast in place of instant yeast: On step 4. use 2 TBSP of the water from the recipe and a pinch of the brown sugar, and mix it with the active dry yeast. Let is sit while the dough sits. Then, it should be foamy, and you can add it into the dough at the time the recipe says to add the instant yeast. (If the yeast is not foamy, then it is dead.) Then proceed with the recipe. (The rise time may be slightly longer with active dry yeast. Also, make sure the water is not too hot, it will kill the yeast.
*Flour type: You can use all hard white or all hard red. Or you can replace the Kamut with spelt or emmer.
*Storing Soft Pretzels: To store these fresh milled flour soft pretzels, place in an airtight bag at room temperature for 1-2 days. Of course, they are best served fresh! If you wish to store for a longer period of time, then let them cool completely, then place in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 4 months. Let thaw at room temperature.