Homemade Crispy Pretzel Rods
Pretzels are a go-to snack, but nothing beats these homemade pretzels with French mustard!
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 KitchenAid Stand Mixer
- 1 Baking Trays
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups warm water (~ 100 degrees F)
- 2 tbsp 100% organic cane sugar
- 4 tsp kosher salt
- 4.5 tsp active dry yeast
- 44 ounces 100% organic, unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 whole egg yolks (beaten with 2 tablespoons of filtered water)
- Coconut oil (or avocado oil) for pan
- Coarse salt (for topping the pretzels)
- Optional toppings (poppy seeds, Everything Bagel Seasoning, dried herbs, etc.)
Optional Dips
- Hummus
- French Maille Mustard (Old Style) (See notes at bottom for where to locate this mustard)
- Homemade cheese sauce
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- Combine the warm water, sugar, and kosher salt (don't use your coarse salt yet... that's for toppings!) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently sprinkle the yeast on top of the water/sugar/salt mixture. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
- Add the all-purpose flour to the wet mixture. Using the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. (Tip: If you don't have a stand mixer, you can do this step by hand.)
Proof It!
- Remove the pretzel dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, and then oil it well with coconut or avocado oil. (We used avocado on this batch.) Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Prep for Baking
- Preheat your oven to 350° Farenheit.
- Line 4 half sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the avocado oil. Set aside.
- Place enough water into a large roasting pan to come ⅓ of the way up the sides of the pan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Shape the Pretzels
- In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 1-ounce portions, approximately 72 pieces. Use your kitchen scale for accuracy.
- Roll out each piece of dough into a 15-inch long stick and place on you sheet pans, about ¼-inch apart. Once you've shaped them, cover your shaped pretzel pieces with a slightly damp tea towel to help prevent drying out.
Boil
- Gently place 8 pretzels at a time into the water for 30 seconds. (You can do fewer at a time if you need to.)
- Tip: We used our ironing board as a "station" for the boiling step.
- Remove the pretzels back to the sheet pan, brush with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Optionally, you can add other seasoning, such as dried rosemary or Everything Bagel seasoning.
Bake
- Bake until golden brown in color and hard, approximately 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
- Eat fresh. You can eat them plain or dunk them in French mustard or homemade cheese sauce. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
If you don't want to make so many pretzels at once, you can halve this recipe... but we like to make use of our time, so we often make big batches since most of our snacks are homemade.
Maille Mustard (Old Style) is the perfect pairing for this pretzel rods. For the French mustard, you can purchase it here.
Other equipment referenced in the recipe:
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer (where to buy)
- Kitchen Scale (where to buy)