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Back during the beginning of 2020 when you know what was happening, I was doing a lot of baking, just like everyone else in the states! Remember when we couldn’t find yeast, baking soda and other totally normal ingredients? Thankfully, we use mostly specialty ingredients (almond flour, cassava flour, etc.) and I always keep a good supply of these on hand from online retailers. Geez, I never thought I’d say I was glad we had to use weird ingredients in my house! Anyway, my kids were begging for me to try to make bagels, so I figured that out (I’ll post the recipe soon) and I realized that the dough would also probably work really well for soft pretzels. It had the right texture and chewiness. And this recipe was born.
Now believe me when I say that this is not a difficult recipe to make. I do recommend you weight your dry ingredients and yes, there is a little bit of a process, but it’s not hard. And it’s really fun and satisfying to make something like this, especially if you’ve been living without this sort of treat for a long time.
Because I know the recipe write-up might sound a little complicated, I’ve made a video showing you the whole process. These would be great for Super Bowl parties or any sort of get-together. Or just make a big batch for your family and freeze them for whenever the mood for a soft pretzel should strike!
Set out eggs and almond flour about an hour prior to beginning the recipe so that they can come up to room temperature.
Fill stock pot with water half way, baking soda and set on stove to boil. If the water comes to a boil before you're ready for it, just reduce the heat so the water stays at a simmer.
Make the pretzel dough by weighing all dry ingredients and whisking to combine well.
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, honey, oil, vinegar and water and whisk to combine well.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the liquid ingredients, then slowly begin to bring the dry into the wet and mix until you have a smooth dough. The dough will be thick and stiff. I ended up using my hands to mix it thoroughly. It was not too sticky and was pretty nice to work with.
Once all the ingredients are mixed well, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
While dough is chilling, sprinkle your counter or work surface with a little tapioca flour, get your bench scraper or metal spatula ready and have your scale handy.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Sprinkle a little tapioca on the parchment paper on the baking sheet and have that nearby.
Remove dough from the refrigerator and weigh it in grams. Divide the weight by 8 to figure out how many grams you want each pretzel to weigh and then divide the dough evenly into 8 pieces. I like to cut my dough with my bench scraper, but you can just use a knife. Weigh each piece of dough to make sure they're pretty close to equal.
Roll each piece of dough into a ball and then gently shape into a snake, about 12 inches long. You can make your pretzels as skinny and tall or short and fat as you like. For a thinner pretzel, make your dough snake longer and thinner. And vice versa. Shape each dough snake into a pretzel shape (you really need to watch the video for this), secure the ends by pressing on the dough lightly and then use your bench scraper to transfer the shaped pretzel onto the parchment paper lined tray.
Make sure your water is boiling and ready to go and then keep on shaping the rest of your pretzels.
Add 1-2 pretzels at a time to the boiling water and allow them to boil for about one minute or until they float to the surface. They may stick to the bottom, so if they do not float after one minute, use a spatula to gently scrape them loose from the bottom of the pan and remove them.
Remove from the water with a slotted spoon or spatula and place back on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have boiled all of the pretzels.
Make egg wash for pretzels by whisking together the egg and water. Brush liberally over tops of pretzels and then sprinkle with salt or sugar, depending on whether you are making sweet or savory pretzels.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, until nicely browned all over. Mine came out perfect at 20 minutes exactly, but all ovens vary a little so just pay close attention when you get to about 18 minutes.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack before devouring. My kids love these dipped in plain old yellow mustard
