National Pretzel Day calls for a delicious fresh flour whole grain pretzel recipe! If fresh flour can elevate everything else's taste and nutrients, why would it be any different for this game day, comfort food staple?

Please don't let the 1 hour and 30 minutes scare you.  Let me do a quick preview of the process so you can see it's mostly just rise time: first, make a yeast mixture and let it sit while you mill your flour, combine dry ingredients, add yeast and liquids, and knead.  It will rise unaccompanied for 1 hour and then you just spend 10-15 minutes finishing up.  Last time I made this recipe I had an over eager "helper" and they still turned our great even with stops and starts in the process.  Trust us, you want to try this versatile pretzel and it's so convenient that you can make pretzel bites, pretzel pizzas, cinnamon sugar and more...yes please!

We'd love to know what you think if you try these pretzels!  Please leave a comment below or tag us on Instagram @unsifted.kc

Happy Unsifted Baking!
- Keira and Sarah

Unsifted Soft Pretzels

**Prefer a hard copy? Checkout the beautiful professionally printed recipe card for Pretzels HERE**

PREP: 30 mins
RISE: 1 hour
BAKE: 8 minutes
YIELD: 10-14 medium pretzels

Ingredients:

Pretzel Dough

INGREDIENTS
3 ⅓ cup	Basic Blend (sub: Kamut)
1 ½ cups	water, divided (warm, 90-110oF)
2 Tbsp	honey, divided
4 tsp	instant yeast
2 Tbsp	olive oil, divided
⅓ cup	granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp	course sea salt
4 Tbsp	unsalted butter, melted

 

Baking Soda Bath

1/2 cup	baking soda
4 cups	hot water
1 cup	warm water (between 100-110 degrees F)

 

Optional Egg Wash

1 large	egg
1 tbsp	milk  (alt: water)

 

INSTRUCTIONS 

1.  Mill the fresh flour

• Set WonderMill® dial to 12:00 (clock position)
• Mill 3 ⅓ cups Basic Blend

2.  Prepare yeast mixture

Pro Tip: You can use your Zojirushi ® for Steps 2 - 4 (use Memory 2)

• In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup warm water
• Add 1 Tbsp honey + 4 tsp instant yeast
• Using spoon, gently stir then cover until foamy (3-5 min)

3.  Combine dough ingredients

• Add 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp honey to yeast mixture
• Using a spoon, stir gently until combined
• Add all the unsifted flour (about 5 cups)
• Add ⅓ cup sugar + 1 ½ tsp salt
• Stir until well combined
• Add ¼ cup water, then stir. Continue adding water 1 Tbsp at a time until firm dough ball forms (up to ½ cup)

4.  Knead + Rise

• Knead dough until it bounces back slightly when pressed, or windowpane effect is achieved, about 35 min. by hand (KitchenAids: Use dough hook on speed #2. Knead about 18 minutes; pause every 6 minutes to cool motor. Zojirushi® : Knead 22 minutes for best results)
• Cover and let dough rise until doubled (45-60 minutes)

5.  Shape the pretzels

• Preheat oven to 450oF + lightly grease baking sheet
• Pour dough onto counter
• Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 12 x 18” rectangle
• Using pizza cutter or knife, cut dough into 10-14 pieces
• Roll each piece of dough into a rope (about 20” long)
  For pretzel bites: Cut each rope into 1” pieces
  For full pretzels: Cross left end over right end, twist, bring ends to center of rope and press to secure.

6.  Bathe the pretzels

• Add 4 cups hot water to a 9 x 13” pan
• Add ½ cup baking soda and stir until dissolved
• Immediately dunk each pretzel in baking soda bath
• Quickly remove (let the excess water drip off)
• Place pretzel on greased baking sheet (face up)

7.  Top + Bake

• Optional: Lightly brush tops of pretzels with egg wash
  (beat 1 large egg in small bowl with 1 Tbsp water)
• Sprinkle with sea salt or toppings (see variations to right)
• Bake at 450F for 8 minutes or until golden brown (190F internal temp.)
• Remove from oven and place on wire cooling rack
• Brush 4 Tbsp melted butter on baked pretzels

 

Pro Tips: