If you have eaten Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, then you will know what I’m making using a Bread Machine. This popular shop can be found in shopping malls here in Singapore and Malaysia but can be quite expensive for each piece.
If you do not have a Bread Machine, use a Cake Mixer with a dough hook to make the dough.
I have made mine quite thick but if you like them to look like Aunty Anne’s pretzels, simply roll the dough longer and thinner. These pretzels may not be exactly like Aunty Anne’s but they are good enough to satisfy my cravings.
Use different types of toppings for your pretzels or have it plain
Cinnamon sugar coated pretzel
Add wet ingredients and followed by dry ingredients to a bread machine
Dough cycle completed (my bread machine took 1 hr 10 mins)
Take dough out and divide equally into 8 equal parts
Roll each dough into a long thin rope. The longer the better because it will be easier to twist to shape.
Twist the dough into a pretzel shape and let it rise
The next process is a very important step which differentiate pretzels from bagels or ordinary bread. Bathing the pretzel shaped dough in a hot baking soda solution prior to baking, is what gives the pretzels their distinctive “pretzel” flavor and chewy brown crust during baking. If you skip this step, you will end with only a twisted bread.
Dissolve baking soda in very hot water and mix thoroughly. Dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution on both sides.
Place soaked pretzels on a baking sheet
Bake in a preheated oven until lightly browned
Spread melted butter on the top of each pretzel and coat with cinnamon/sugar, coarse sea salt, grated cheese or whatever you like. Bake again for another 2 – 3 mins and cool on a rack.
Soft Pretzels (Bread Machine)
Equipment
- bread machine
Ingredients
Pretzel Dough
- 230 ml warm water
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 400 g bread flour
- 2 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp raw or table sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Pre-baking
- 250 ml hot water
- 3 Tbsp baking soda
Toppings
- Cinnamon and sugar mix
- Grated cheese
- Sliced almonds
- Coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Add pretzel dough ingredients to a bread machine.
- Set to dough cycle (mine runs 1 hr 10 mins).
- If you do not have a Bread Machine, use a Cake Mixer with a dough hook to make the dough.Remove the dough from the Cake Mixer and cover it to let it rise
- Take dough out from the Bread Machine and divide equally into 8 equal parts.
- Roll each dough into a long thin rope. The longer the better because it will be easier to twist to shape.
- Twist the dough into a pretzel shape and let it rise.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
- The next process is a very important step which differentiate pretzels from bagels or ordinary bread. If you skip this step, you will end with just a twisted bread.
- Dissolve baking soda in very hot water and mix thoroughly.
- Dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution on both sides.
- Place soaked pretzels on a baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated oven until lightly browned (about 5 – 7 mins).
- Remove pretzels from the oven and spread melted butter on the top of each pretzel.
- Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, cinnamon/sugar mix, grated cheese or whatever you like.
- Bake again for another 2 – 3 mins.
- Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a rack.
Notes
- Best to consume within 24 hrs and the rest keep in an airtight container.
- Can last about a week in the fridge and a month in the freezer.