Bread can be an intimidating challenge, so we decided to start easy. Pretzel bread, which we crave constantly, only takes a couple hours and simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Fresh out of the oven, pretzel bread is a perfect snack to tear apart and eat with butter or honey mustard dipping sauce. But unlike a regular pretzel, you can also slice it into the best sandwich—or grilled cheese. Our eventual goal is to turn it into a bread bowl, but we’re still working on that.
Pretzel bread is obviously incomplete without a hearty topping of course sea salt. But we want to strive for more. Now, we’re not sure why Trader Joe’s is the only company to come up with “Everything But The Bagel” seasoning, but this shaker full of sesame seeds, sea salt, garlic and onion flakes will become a favorite new addition to your spice cabinet. Put it on your avocado. Put it on your hummus. And put it on this pretzel bread.
Pretzel Bread
- 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
- 1 cup warm water (105-110 Fº)
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 cups water
- 1/8 cup baking soda
- 1 tablespoons coarse sea salt
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
Attach the dough hook to your standing mixture. Combine yeast, water, and brown sugar in mixing bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy.
Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix in milk and set aside. Once yeast is proofed, add milk and butter to yeast mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
Add salt and flour, and mix with dough hook until flour is fully incorporated. Knead with the mixer until the dough forms a slightly tacky but firm ball.
Spray a large bowl with oil, and place the dough ball inside. Cover with a damp towel, and place in a warm place to let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. (We usually put ours in the oven with the light on.)
Take the bowl out of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring a pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda—be careful, or you will have a baking soda/water explosion!
Remove the dough and divide into two balls of dough the same size. Carefully set one of the balls into the boiling baking soda water. Boil for 60-90 seconds on each side, turning once to guarantee both sides are submerged. Remove the ball, using a mesh strainer or something similar, and drain the excess water from the dough. Place on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with the other dough ball.
Use a knife to cut a small (small!) x-shaped incision on the top of the bread, which gives the dough somewhere to expand. Sprinkle coarse sea salt and everything bagel seasoning (if you have it, and you should!) over the bread to your specific tastes.
Bake the bread for 22-25 minutes, until the crust is a rich shade of brown.
Oy Sauce 