Twisted Treats

By Georgia Wyess

Anyone who knows me knows I love pretzels. Their salty, flavor filled taste takes me back to my days in elementary school when my grandmother, who immigrated to the United States from Germany, would serve me a warm pretzel with mustard after a long day at school. I decided to learn to make them myself and though they may never be as good as the ones I would eat sitting at the round, wooden table at “grandma’s house,” these sure do come pretty close. 

Original recipe: https://munchyesta.com/vegan-pretzels/

For the Pretzel dough

  • 3 tbsp Sugar
  • 2¼ tsp Dry Active Yeast 1 packet
  • 1 cup Warm Water
  • 2½ cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 tbsp Baking Soda

For the bath

  • 4 cups Very Hot Water

Topping

  • 1-2 tbsp Rock Salt

Instructions

  1. Mix together yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the hot water and stir until the yeast dissolves. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
  2. Next, add the flour and melted vegan butter and stir together. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, until it forms a firm dough. Shape it into a ball and cover with a clean towel. Set aside to rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
  3. Once the dough has risen (it should have doubled in size) pour it out of the mixing bowl and cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope (should be around 17″ or 43cm long). Twist the pretzels into their pretzel shapes and lay the on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  5. Next, heat a large pot filled with 4 cups of water. Once it starts to boil add the baking soda and gently stir.
  6. Place one of the pretzels on a slotted spatula and gently dip it into the baking soda water for 5 seconds. Remove from the water and place it on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle salt on top and repeat the steps with the remaining pretzels.
  7. Next, bake the pretzels in the middle of the oven for 12-15 minutes until they are dark and golden. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving.