These pretzels are soft and chewy in the middle, golden brown on the outside.

Soft Pretzels

Soft pretzels are fun and easy to make at home.
And making these pretzels at home are so satisfying plus they are less expensive than the ones in the mall ;P.

With homemade soft pretzels, you can create as many or as little toppings that you love.
Be it, sweet or savoury.

My favourite toppings for soft pretzel is definitely cheese and jalapeno.

Not much of a sweet tooth person of late, so cream cheese cinnamon pretzels, would be my second choice!

How to make Soft Pretzels

List of ingredients and method can be found towards the end of this post.

However, I will take through on how to make soft pretzels by these photos, with some pointers or two.

 
1. Mix bread flour, melted butter, yeast mixture and salt in a mixing bowl.

 
2. I use kitchen bench top mixer to achieve this smooth pretzel dough.

 
3. Leave the dough to rest for an hour or until double in size.
The timing for the pretzel dough to double is very much dependent on the ambient temperature.

On cold winter day, the dough will be slow to rise and vice versa on hot summer day.
Keep an eye on the dough. 

 
4. This is the best part, to de-gas the dough.
Punch the dough down to de gas the pretzel dough.

 
5. Divide the dough into 8 (or smaller)

How to shape a soft pretzel?

 
1. Roll each ball to a long super long thin dough.

 
2. Shape.
It is very difficult to describe, I recommend watching the video on how my daughter made the pretzel.

Why use baking soda to pre-cook / parboil Pretzels?

 
1. Bring water to rapid boil.
Add baking soda to boiling water.

Be careful as the hot water makes a lot of bubble and may splatter on you, the minute baking soda was added.

 
2. Gently place the pretzel into the alkaline water.
Count 15 seconds each side.

Why use baking soda prior to baking pretzel?

Do not miss this step!
Par boil un baked pretzel in baking soda bath is the key to give pretzels its chewy texture.
Dipping in alkaline bath gives these pretzels its dark golden colour with a tint of yellow.

Pretzels topping prior to baking

 
1. Brush with egg yolk (optional), you can brush with melted butter. Your choice :D

 
2. Sprinkle sea salt.

I prefer to use Maldon sea salt.

 
3. Top sone or two pretzels with tasty cheese (cheddar cheese) and slices of jalapeno.

 
4. Bake at 180C for 12 to 15 minutes until the pretzels turn to rich brown in colour.

Cream cheese Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Topping

 
 1. This is my daughter's favourite.
Cream cheese with cinnamon sugar.

Once the pretzel has cooled down completely.
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar generously.
Pipe cream cheese.

Or you can spread cream cheese on the pretzel and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Other Baking recipes that you may wish to try

Home baked Cinnamon rolls
Matcha Red Bean Buns
Hot Cross Buns and butter Pudding

 

Video on How to make Soft Pretzels!

 

Posted on 29th March 2013

I love you the most ...Mom. 6 words that tugged my heart... those 6 words uttered, breathe the much needed O2 to fill up my lungs and my head. Just when I thought I was way over, having to deal with tantrums, Terrible 2's, soldiered on ...ten plus few years ... another set of emotional roller coaster ride, looked me in the eye... TEENS (and their raging hormone). I once asked D ; "Why is it teen (aka you) love to argue/ disagree and annoy their mom (aka me) so much?" His quick answer.." ...because you are MOM!!!" awww... thank you very much, that supposed to make me feel better. He didn't make any sense at that time ... I thought he was pulling my leg. (phew... thank God that he was no longer in that 'Terrible Teen' phase)
Almost at that exact age of 15 going to 16 before reaching 17... E started to behave exactly like ...well, you know ... TEENS!!!
Challenging my every word, questioning my every action, pouting and long faces when I beg to differ...
If looks could kill, I'd be sliced and dead a million times over!!!
... "this can't be happening" again, I heard a faint voice inside my head...

I turned to Mr Google to shed some light on "Moms and Teens" relationship, specifically Mom and daughter.
Apparently Mom is the only person that teens will vent, take out their anger, frustration, because of her unconditional love towards her children. No matter what circumstances she might be in; be it  stress, strain, she'll have  her kids in her arms again in no time, once the emotional roller coaster ride has come to a complete cycle and stop. 
Teens will not pull the same stunts with fathers, teachers or peers...worried of repercussion and shunned by their own social circles.

In her quiet...tired moment, resting in my arms... she whispered 

"I love you the most ...Mom".
tears in my eyes, ... I must have done something right after all...



Handling teens are like making these beautiful pretzel...

We measured, mixed basic ingredients; flour, yeast, water, knead and give it much love... hope that it will rise to the occasions... and when it does, it was worth every effort we put in... and if it doesn't... well, we just have to try and try again...and not to give up hope.

Have a lovely long weekend, Peeps.

Make sense?

In a nut shell... We, the Moms, are their punching bag!!! ouch...

Rewind some 30 odd years ago....
I would not, dare not, repeat... dare not show any Teens Tantrums with my mom, she'd have me straightened up in no time with 'cane' in her hand / Malay word ~ rotan mari...