Pretzel Rolls – The Secret Recipe Club

One of my favorite times of the month is here…reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club! This month, my assignment was “It’s Yummy to my Tummy.” Heather’s two kids named her blog and I love it! Such a fun title!  Heather and I have a lot in common. We both started our blogs to organize our thoughts and experiment. Plus, we both use cooking and baking to relax.

After looking through all the recipes on Heather’s list, I decided to go with pretzel rolls. They’ve been on my list to make for a while, so I figured it was time. I had also considered making her pancakes and sausage muffins, apple bellini and asian lettuce wraps. I’m thinking the Bellinis would be perfect to serve on Thanksgiving.

The rolls were easy to make, since I’ve made pretzels before. The texture of the rolls were the right consistency and I loved the little bit of sweetness from the brown sugar.

1 1/3 cups warm water
1 packet active dry yeast
2 Tbsp warm milk
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup light brown sugar
4 cups flour
2 quarts cold water
1/2 cup baking soda
kosher salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1/3 cup water with the yeast. Allow to stand and get foamy. Add in the remaining cup of water, milk, melted butter and brown sugar. Stir the mixture around until the sugar is dissolved. Slowly add in the flour and mix well until your dough forms. Since I was using my stand mixer, I let it knead for a minute or two so I didn’t have to knead it by hand. Remove and place on a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a 2 foot long log and cut into 12 even pieces, approximately 2 inches wide. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and then place a damp towel on top. Allow to rise for 10 to 15 minutes.

Take each piece of dough and form it into a roll or knot. Place back on the lightly floured surface about an inch apart and cover with a piece of lightly greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 30 minutes or until they have grown in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray two baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large stock pot, bring the water to a boil and add in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble and make a mess, but trust me, it’s worth it! Drop in two rolls at time and allow to boil for 30 seconds or less. Remove the rolls using a slotted spoon and allow to drain before placing onto the prepared baking sheet. Continue until all rolls have been boiled. Sprinkled with kosher salt. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on the top rack until the rolls are the desired color. I baked mine so they were on the darker side for a crispy outside. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minute and then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

Check out all the other great recipes in this week’s reveal using the link below!