“Soft, chewy Pretzels with a strong onion flavor in every bite, a savory satisfying snack”
“Food is good, but food with friends is better”
Friends make a huge difference in life. They help you celebrate good times and provide help and support during bad times as well. Friends can also increase your sense of belonging and purpose too. A few of my girl friends had come home for dinner last week and I baked a few things from my blog. I took time to plan each and everything on the menu - we had Patatas Bravas, Jalapeno Popper bread, Cranberry and chili Brioche, Cilantro chili Hummus, Muhammara, Pita bread( Store bought), Onion crackers( Nippat) and for desserts we had Rose Tres Leches that I served in individual ramekins. We had an absolute great time, they were so kind and appreciated me so much. Food truly connects people!
Appreciation is one of life’s greatest motivators and this is what triggered me to get back to blogging. There was something about that meet up that pushed me from my comfort zone. I decided to get back to baking and blogging. Somehow, these Onion Pretzels were in my mind for a very long time and I decided to make them. This is one of Nadia’s recipes with very minimal tweaks.
These Onion Pretzels are so flavorful, you will taste the onions in each and every bite. The original recipe called for Onion granules but I could only find minced onions(dried) at my local stores here. Two teaspoon of dried chives was used too, which I skipped. The fried onions that I used are the ones I bought from my local Indian grocery stores ( same is used to make Biryanis).
A pretzels distinct taste comes from a combination of ingredients and a few factors on the way it is prepared. Basic ingredients are flour, yeast, sugar, and addition of onion granules and friend onions in this case. Baking them to perfection with a nice sprinkle of spices takes it a notch higher. Not to forget before baking boiling the pretzel with water + baking soda gives it a brown crust, chewy texture and a distinctive flavor. Finally the characteristic knot, making it so appealing to the eyes!
Of course there are quite a lot of variation of pretzels, the hard ones, the one that’s like a stick, rolls, heart shaped etc, all these have a unique texture and flavor based on how they are prepared.
Makes 12 Pretzels ( Measuring it in gms would be ideal)
INGREDIENTS
500gm, approx 3 1/4 cup bread flour
7gm, approx 1 1/4 teaspoon yeast
25gm / 2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon onion granules/ Minced dry onions
30 gm / approx 1/3 cup fried onions ( store bought)
50 gm / around 3 tablespoon butter, melted
300 ml warm water
Spice dust:
2 tablespoon onion granules/minced dried onions
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, for egg wash
Make the dough - Begin by measuring all the ingredients. In a bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, yeast, sugar, salt, onion granules, fried onions. Whisk to combine. Add melted butter and give a gentle mix. Make a well in the center and add warm water. Mix on low speed until combined and then increase the speed to medium to knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes. You will end up with a smooth, stretchy and soft dough. Stop the mixer, then scrape the bottom of the bowl. Remove the dough, shape it into a ball, place it back in the bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. You may want to grease the bowl lightly before placing the dough back. Allow it to rise until doubled.
NOTE - If you are not using a mixer, knead the dough gently for about 8-10minutes until you get a soft pliable dough.
Shape the Pretzel - Once the dough has raised, punch it down and measure the weight of the dough. We are looking for 12 equal pieces. Divide it into 12 small balls, each piece of dough weighed about 75gms for me. Keeping a ruler on the counter, take one ball roll it into a rope , about 30cm in length.
Shape the log into "U" shape, cross them one over the other. Make a single knot and pull the shorter side and tuck it under. Now the longer arm, bring it over from the center and tuck it in. Basically, One end going through the center and the other end under and around to connect it. May be watching some videos can help with the shaping.
Cut out parchment papers into 12 small squares about 5x5 inches. Drizzle some olive oil. Place the knots carefully on top of each parchment paper. Cover them with a greased cling wrap and let it sit for about 15 mins.
To make the spice dust - mix the minced onion, paprika and salt. Set aside. For the egg wash, separately break an egg in a cup and whisk gently.
Alkaline bath - Boil water in a large pot, when it is on a rolling boil slowly add 3 tablespoon baking soda. Slide the pretzels in small batches, flip them and using a slotted spoon remove them immediately. Should not take more than 30 seconds. Place them on a lined baking sheet. Brush the egg wash on top. Sprinkle some spice dust.
Bake - Preheat oven at 350F. Bake the pretzels for about 15-16 mins or until you get a brown crust. ( Original recipe mentioned 12mins, but mine took longer).
Serve them warm or at room temperature. You can also store them in an airtight container.