Homemade Whole Wheat Pretzels

I have a confession to make – I have a weakness for food court soft pretzels. Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, the Pretzelmaker, if I’m in a mall, I can always smell the cinnamon sugar a mile away. Before we moved, I had no way to fulfill this craving as our former city’s malls didn’t have a pretzel place in their food court. The closest one was when I used to meet my family in Winnipeg and head to Polo Park for last minute Christmas shopping every December. No matter how broke I was, I always got a cinnamon-sugar pretzel.

Now that we live in southern Ontario, it seems that every mall we go to has a pretzel kiosk. At first I didn’t know what to do and out of habit, I would always get my usual order. After a few months, the novelty wore off and now I only get a pretzel once in a while. I still love my cinnamon-sugar laced order, only now it doesn’t seem like a treat when the closest one is a mere 5 minute drive away and not an annual treat.

I’ve been meaning to try and make my own soft pretzels for a while now. I wish I knew that it was this easy, I would have made them sooner. The only problem is how am I going to prevent myself from eating all them in one sitting?

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Homemade Whole Wheat Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of warm water
• 1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt (reduced from 1 1/8 because I made savory pretzels)
• 1 cup bread flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Add the warm water to a bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Mix and add brown sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Add flours and knead dough until smooth. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425*F and mix water and baking soda in a separate bowl.
3. Cut off a small chunk of dough and roll into a long rope, about 15-20 inches in length. Make a U with the rope and cross the two ends to form the shape of a pretzel. Pinch the ends into the dough to prevent from falling apart.
4. Dip the unbaked pretzel into the water/baking soda mixture and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Vegan Dad

Besides making regular pretzels, I also made mini pretzel bites. I just couldn’t help myself!

Once the pretzels cooled, I dipped them in melted Earth Balance “buttery” spread and sprinkled them with cinnamon and brown sugar. I wish they came out a little prettier, but I guess this is proof that taste shouldn’t be judged by appearance because they were delicious. Chewy, wholesome and full of cinnamon-sugary goodness.

The flavours don’t stop there. If you don’t like savory, you can have salty pretzels. Pizza-flavoured pretzels. Dip them in ketchup or mustard. Wrap a hot dog inside the dough before baking. The possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!