Guilt Free Snacking: Vegan Soft Pretzels

So, living in Austria has its advantages and disadvantages.  On one hand, it is beautiful, full of history, and there are amazing bakeries and cafes everywhere.  On the other hand, there are amazing bakeries and cafes everywhere.  See what I did there?  heh... Anyway, as I was saying, there area lot of bread shops here, and while it is convenient to walk by and grab fresh baked bread every day, it can also be expensive.  Pretzels can be anywhere between 1 and 4 euros a pop, depending on where you buy them from! 

We made homemade pretzels in culinary school, but I remember it being kind of complicated and it involving some kind of chemicals to boil the pretzels in.  I decided to look online to find some easier recipes, and was slightly overwhelmed at all the different ingredients, fancy equipment needed and actual cooking methods.  I found and slightly adapted what I believe to be an easy and tasty recipe! 

Note:  This recipe makes quite a few pretzels.  I baked half and individually wrapped and froze the other half for later cooking.  You can easily double or half this recipe depending on your family size.  Also, you can use Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour to make these guys gluten free!  Everyone in your family can enjoy these!

Vegan Soft Pretzels

Served here with vegan bratwurst, spicy mustard, and vegan beer cheese sauce!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups very warm water (for yeast mixture)
• 2 tbs splenda
• 2 tbs active dry yeast (make sure it is fresh)
• 2 tsp salt
• 9 cups flour ( you can use all purpose, gluten free, or whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 10 cups water (for boiling pretzels)
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• Toppings:  I used cinnamon/splenda, garlic and herbs, and sea salt

Directions:

1.  Pour your yeast, splenda and 3 cups warm water into a bowl and stir.  Allow yeast mixture to sit and bloom for 5 minutes.

2.  After yeast has gotten foamy, add in your olive oil and stir to combine. 

3.  Stir in your flour and salt and dump out onto a floured surface. 

4.  Knead your dough for about 5 minutes, or until it smooths out.  Separate into 2 even sized doughs and place into oiled bowls.  Cover in plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size. 

5.  When your dough is puffy and doubled, it is ready to work into pretzels.  Dump it back out onto your floured surface. 

6.  At this time, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Also, fill a large pot with water and add 1/2 cup baking soda and allow to come to a soft boil.  Also, line 2 sheet pans and a section of your counter with parchment paper so you don't have to do it when your hands are messy. 

 7.  Cut each of your doughs into 9 smaller doughs and roll in flour so you can work with one at a time. 

8.  Take your dough and roll into a long skinny snake.  Think rolling out play dough here people!  Then lightly dampen each end of the snake with water.  Now you're ready to shape the pretzel!

 9.  Cross your ends over one another to make what I can best describe as some kind of an awareness ribbon shape. 

10.  Bring the right end straight up and stick to the outside edge of the circle.  If it doesn't stick, try adding a little dab more water. 

11.  Repeat the same with the other side, and adjust until it has that signature pretzel shape.  Go ahead and shape all your pretzels first, and then set them on the parchmented counter top.  This will allow the boiling process to go much more quickly. 




Note:  If you want to freeze some of the pretzels, DO NOT boil them first! Individually wrap the pretzels in parchment and place in a ziplock bag.  When you are ready to use them, allow them to thaw and rise for an hour before baking. 

12.  Place the pretzels 2 or 3 at a time into the boiling water for 30 seconds, flipping them over half way through.  They should puff up and get a little doughy during this time. 

13.  As soon as the pretzels come out of the water, place them on the sheet trays and sprinkle them with whatever toppings you desire.  Garlic and herb is pictured here, but you can also do plain salt, or cinnamon sugar. 

14.  Bake your pretzels for 12-15 minutes each, or until they are crispy and brown.  Enjoy!!!