Pretzels 🥨

Happy New Year! I'm ecstatic to continue growing the brand and do what I love: cook/bake! If you've been following along since the beginning, thank you, and I promise, there is much more fun to be had this new year ❤️

The classic mickey shaped pretzel 🥨

I wanted to start the new year by sharing one of my favorite snacks, pretzels! Now I am a Disney Pretzel girl through and through, but salty isn't always my mood, and the little stand-alone pretzel shops in the mall are slept on. My favorite topping is almond; cheese and jalapeno are necessary if I crave a savory pretzel. I've been hungry to snack, and pretzels were a craving I needed to satisfy. As I mentioned, Disney pretzels are superior, but I didn't have the artistic skill to recreate the shape, so I went with the classic look instead.

This recipe comes from the "Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook" and if you are a Disney fan, like myself, grab a copy and start making the famous Disney Parks snacks and cuisine right at home. I did make some small modifications to her recipe, but full credit goes to the author herself, Ashley Craft.

Pretzels 🥨

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water, 110 degrees

• 1 packet of active dry yeast

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 8 cups of room temp water

• 1/4 cup baking soda

• 1 egg

• kosher salt or topping of choice for pretzels

Steps:

1. In a stand mixer bowl, add the warm water and yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Add brown sugar and salt to that same bowl, and using the flat beater attachment, beat on low till combined. Add the flour, switch the attachment to the dough hook, and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and stretchy.

3. Remove the dough, place it on a tray, and spray that bowl with nonstick spray until coated nicely. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place, for about 30 minutes.

4. Nearing the end of the 30 minutes, prep by preheating the oven to 425 degrees, and line a tray with a baking sheet.

5. In a large pot, bring the 8 cups of water to a boil.

6. As the water is prepping, turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and cut the dough into about 9-12 pieces, in equal sizes. Taking one piece at a time, roll the dough until stretchy and fairly thin, similar to a rope. You'll then take the ends of the rope, twist it as if braiding, and bring it down to the middle of the dough (the U shape) to make the classic pretzel shape. Press the ends into the dough well so it sticks together.

7. Once the water has boiled, add the baking soda, take one pretzel at a time, and add to the bath. Let it poach for about 20 seconds, remove it, and place it on the prepped baking sheet.

8. Once completed, take the egg, crack it into a bowl, whisk well, and add about 1 spoon of water and mix. Using a basting brush, brush the egg mixture onto each pretzel. Sprinkle with salt, or any other topping of choice.

9. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

10. Bon Appetite!