Hello, my readers! Today I’m going to teach you how to make pretzels the right way. My family and I rang in the new year with these pretzels, and they were delicious. They’re very easy to prepare and will make a great signature side item that you can add to your menu. Pair these pretzels with a marinara, cheese or honey mustard sauce, and you’ve got a real winner. Pretzels are also a great alternative if you don’t want to offer traditional garlic knots. Besides, garlic knots are often given out for free with pizzeria orders, but you can charge for these pretzels. A lot of pizza shops in New York are already doing it. It’s another opportunity to upsell customers and make more money!

Mangia!

 

Ingredients:

4 c. all-purpose flour
2½ c. whole-wheat flour
2 packets dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 egg whites (save the yolk)
2 tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 c. water, hot

 

Directions:

Mix the flours, yeast, sugar, egg whites, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Make a hole in the center of the mix and pour in the hot water. Form the mix into a dough and knead it until it’s smooth, about eight minutes. Now cover it and set it aside for about a half-hour to let it rise.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Once the dough is ready, knead it again and divide it into 20 equal pieces. Roll each piece out to about 15” long in a ropelike form. Start to fold the dough into a pretzel shape by making a U shape, then crossing the ends over each other and pressing them back onto the U shape. (Sprinkle the dough with a little water if it starts to get dry.) Once you’re done, place the pretzels on a nonstick baking sheet. Whisk the egg yolk and brush it onto the pretzels. Let rise for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle some sea salt on top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden-brown.