Garlic-Sesame Soft Pretzels

I have a habit that every time I go shopping in a mall, I have to buy pretzels. I look at the way they make pretzels, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the hot and buttery pretzel just comes out. Many times, I wanted to make pretzels at home, but I felt that if I made them at home, I probably will never buy them at the store. Since shopping is not what I have been doing lately, I decided to make pretzels at home to satisfy my yearning for this wonderful snack. Chefs.com has a good recipe for making soft pretzels using a stand mixer. I always like to use my bread machine to create all kinds of bread, and soft pretzels are not different.  The soft pretzels sold at the mall are deep-fried, but the one I will make at home is much healthier. Adding some other ingredients, such as garlic, sesame, cheese, or salami will give the soft pretzels a more interesting taste.

Ingredients:
Pretzel ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs soft butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening
2 cups bread flour
2 tsp active yeast
Other ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs sesame seeds
1 egg
1/2 tsp coarse salt
5 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda

Directions:
Place the pretzel ingredients into the bread machine pan and press start. When the dough has risen long enough, the machine will make a sound. Turn off the machine, and remove dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Add minced garlic into dough and knead a few times to combine.

Preheat oven to 450°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Bring water and baking soda to a rolling boil in a pot.

Divide the dough into about 6 or 8 equal pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into a 12 inch rope.

Make a U shape with the rope, then use the two ends of the rope to cross over each other and press each end into the center of the sides to make a pretzel shape.

Make any shape that you feel comfortable making, Practice makes perfect, so don't worry if it does not look like the shape of pretzels that are sold in stores.

Carefully drop pretzels one at a time in boiling water. Boil each pretzel for 30 seconds, turning once. Use a flat spatula to remove pretzel and drain on a rack for a few minutes.

 

 

Beat an egg and add 1 tbs of water to make an egg wash. Place pretzels on a prepared baking sheet. Brush each pretzel with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and coarse salt over the top of each pretzel.

Bake in preheated oven until pretzels turn a deep golden brown (about 15 minutes or more). Serve warm.