Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

First off (and before I forget – because it seems like that’s all my brain does now), I just want to thank you all for your kind comments and messages about our little addition to the family.  Thank you SO much!  Besides all the kids and I coming down with a cold and running to what seems like a million appointments and errands in the last week we’ve finally settled into as much of a routine as a newborn can so you’ll be seeing a little more of me 🙂

On to the food!  I just realized that this is the last day I could post these!  OK, not really.  But April is soft pretzel month and since I hardly ever do things on time, like posts for specific holidays or other occasions, I thought I should really jump on this.  Yes, on the last day of the month.  I never said I wasn’t a procrastinator 😀

So, soft pretzels are pretty awesome.  They are a ton of fun to make with the kids.  They certainly don’t need to be perfectly shaped, as evidenced by my pretzels.  And of course they’re super fun to eat with the kids, and what kid doesn’t like dipping?  We like to dip ours in hummus, but no matter what you dip them in, they’re so good.  Just make sure you have the right kind of coarse salt.  Which we actually didn’t, but they turned out good anyways even if they could have used the salt on top.

They do last for a few days just on the counter in a sealed bag or container.  I’m sure they could probably be frozen too, although I haven’t tried.  Better yet, boil them, then freeze.  And then pull them out and bake them until perfectly golden.  I haven’t tried that(although right now I’m wishing I had some ready to go in the freezer) but I’m sure it would work well since I’ve done that with bagels before.

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100% Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Slightly adapted from Baking Bites

• 2 C warm water
• 3 1/2-4 C whole wheat flour from hard wheat/bread flour
• 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
• 1 tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp honey(or another liquid sweetener for a vegan option)
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 C baking soda
• coarse salt for sprinkling

 

In a bowl mix 1/4 C warm water with the yeast and let sit 10 minutes to soften.  Once softened, mix in the rest of the warm water, 2 cups of flour, the gluten and a small drizzle of honey.  Mix well and set aside, covered in a warm place for 40-60 minutes.  In this time the very wet “dough” will rise.  After the dough has sit, stir in the honey, salt, and 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour.  Knead until just tacky but not sticky anymore adding 1 tbsp of flour at a time.  Cover and set aside for one more hour to rise.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

Knead the air out of the dough and then divide into 4.  Cover the dough with a towel and remove one piece at a time to work with.  Divide the piece into 3 and roll each piece to about 24″ long and twist into shape.  Place on a baking sheet until the others are all shaped.  In a medium sized pot full of water, dissolve the 1/4 C baking soda(or use 1/2 C for a very large pot of water).  Bring to a boil and drop 2 pretzels into the water at a time.  Cook for about a minute before using a slotted spoon to remove them and place them on a lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt before they dry.  Repeat with remaining pretzels.  Once all the pretzels are boiled, place the baking sheets into the oven and bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown, switching the sheets half way through to ensure they brown evenly.  Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.

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