I have always wanted to try making homemade pretzels or pretzel buns but was always overwhelmed just reading various recipes. The recipes looked so complicated I just didn’t want to put in the effort and it’s not like I eat them all the time so I kind of just forgot about it. But in the October 2014 issue of Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine, I saw a recipe that while still having a lot of steps, looked so delicious I finally broke down and tried my hand at making homemade pretzels, or at least attempting to.

The prep takes about 2 hours, plus about  1 1/2 hours for the dough to rise. Even though there are quite a few steps, the steps themselves are easy to do which makes this recipe simple enough for even a beginning cook. The price per pretzel came in at approximately 33 cents with a basic topping of Coarse salt but feel free to add other toppings like garlic salt, sugar cinnamon, seeds or even cheese and bacon. You can find frozen pretzels at the grocery store on sale for about 40 to 50 cents each but they aren’t homemade. If you buy a warm pretzel at the mall you’ll pay about $2.50 to $3.

I admit my dough doesn’t look quite as perfect as it did in the magazine but for my first try, I was extremely pleased with my results.

This recipe was in October 2014 Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine and adapted from Pretzel Making at Home (Chronicle Books, 2013) by Andrea Slonecker.

SOFT PRETZELS –

Prep: 1 HR 50 MIN (plus rising)        Bake: 12 minutes       Makes: 8 pretzels at approx. 33 cents each or 6 pretzel rolls at approx. 43 cents

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup baking soda

1 envelope (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)

1 tbsp. (packed) dark brown sugar or barley malt syrup (I used dark brown sugar)

3 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour (plus 1/4 cup if needed)

1/2 cup lager-style beer

2 tbsp. butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

2 tsp. fine sea salt

Coarse salt for topping

*Tasty Toppers

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Sprinkle the baking soda evenly over a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature.

2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, add 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees.) Sprinkle the yeast into the water. Add the sugar; stir until dissolved. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, the beer, butter and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Transfer the dough to an unfloured surface and knead (or turn on stand mixer to medium-low) until slightly tacky but not sticky, adding water by the teaspoon if too dry, or adding flour by the tablespoon if too sticky. Knead until a smooth dough forms, 7 to 10 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes using a mixer. Transfer to a large, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. For pretzels, cut the dough into 8 pieces. On an unfloured surface, roll each piece into a 12-inch-long rope. Let rest 5 minutes.

Roll each piece again into a 24- to 28-inch-long rope. Form 1 rope into a U shape with the tips going up.

Lift the left tip and press into the bottom right of the U at 4 o’clock

Lift the right tip and press into the bottom left side of the U at 8 o’clock.

For rolls, cut into 6 pieces. Roll into football shapes, about 8 inches long, plump in the centers and tapered at the ends.

Arrange pretzels or rolls on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Cover with a dish towel and let rest 20 minutes.

5. In a large pot, combine 8 cups water and the cooked baking soda. Bring to a boil, stirring until dissolved. Working in batches, poach the pretzels, turning once, for 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheets. (If the ends detach from the pretzels, reattach.) Sprinkle with salt or other toppings.

Bake until deep golden, about 8 to 10 minutes for pretzels and 10 to 12 minutes for rolls.

*Tasty Topping Ideas…

Before baking, sprinkle with flaxseed, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds and pepitas; grated cheddar and crumbled bacon; caraway seeds and coarse salt; coarse salt, garlic salt, sesame seeds and poppy seeds; OR…after baking, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

When I sampled my first pretzel, I personally thought they tasted delicious and a lot better than I even imagined! When my husband got home and tried one, he was very impressed and said it tasted as good as any homemade pretzel he’s eaten and definitely better than the frozen variety. YES!