As pretzel fanatics (specifically Auntie Anne's sour cream & onion flavoured) a friend and I decided to make "copy-cat" pretzels at home. Although we tried to follow the recipe as closely as we could, we had to modify it slightly because of the ingredients we had on hand. They turned out delicious, but now I know how to make them even better. I'll highlight dips down below.
Here is a picture I took right before we put them in the oven:
I do apologize, in the excitement that ensued once we took out the cooked pretzels from the oven, I completely forgot to take pictures of the finally product! I will make a new batch and post pictures very soon.
I bought sour cream & onion seasoning from Bulk-Barn. It is not the best but it's basically all we can find. Kernels used to make the perfect sour-cream & onion popcorn seasoning, but for some inexplicable reason, they took them off the shelves! They actually made it super close to the one used at Auntie Anne's. The Bulk-Barn one is slightly more salty and powdery. If your a fan of other popcorn seasonings, you could use them instead. I've found dill pickle, cheddar and ranch pretty much everywhere. Another awesome topping is cinnamon sugar (or cinnamon powder mixed with regular sugar).
Here is the altered recipe we used:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 pkg.)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (substitute with bread flour)
- 3 cups all- purpose flour
- 2 cups water
- 4 tablespoons baking powder (baking soda is preferred)
- 4 tablespoons butter (melted)
- cinnamon powder
- sugar
- sour cream & onion seasoning
Directions:
1- Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. (It may dissolve on its own)
2- Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. (If dough is too sticky sprinkle more flour in slowly)
3- Let rise at least 1/2 hour. (Or longer)
4- While dough is rising, prepare a baking powder water bath with 2 cups warm water and 4 tbsp baking powder. (Baking soda is what was asked for in the original, but we didn't have any, so we used powder instead)
5- Be certain to stir often.
6- After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. (To make the actual pretzel shape, form a U, cross the tips of the U over each other, twist the tips once, bring the tips back down onto the base (bottom u part), and press slightly where the tips and the base meet- see picture below)
7- Dip pretzel in soda solution for about a minute and place on greased baking sheet. (I used cooking spray, at first, but the bottoms burned, so I switched to brushing on melted butter instead)
9- Immediately place in oven and bake at 450 for about 10 minutes or until golden. (It could be quicker, or use a lower heat if your oven is high-powered)
10- Brush with melted butter.
11- Toppings: Sprinkle coarse sea salt, sour cream & onion or other popcorn seasonings, or cinnamon sugar. If you don't have any seasonings, you could mix some garlic powder, garlic salt and onion salt together. Or try a more fresh route: grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
12- Eat it while its hot and enjoy!
