Under Construction Okay—This would make a killer family activity. Have the dough pre-made and let each family member roll and shape their own pretzel. If your child is old enough to play with playdough they are old enough to play with bread dough. Of course, mom, dad, or an older sibling will have to be in charge of the boiling water bath but other than that these are simple and delicious! So have FUN!
Whole Wheat Pretzels
Bake at 450
Makes 8, 12, or 16 pretzels
The pretzel dough is not allowed to rise, therefore the dough will be chewier.
Biga 2 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Tsp Yeast
1 Cup Water
Soaker 2 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp salt
1 Cup Water
Final Dough Biga
Soaker
2 tsp Yeast
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Honey or Sugar
4 Tbsp Butter
1 Egg Yolk, Beaten
1 Tbsp Water
2 1/2 Quarts Water
2/3 Cup Baking Soda
Combine: Cut the Biga and the Soaker in pieces and add them to the bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and salt over the pre-doughs, add the honey and butter. Knead the doughs and enrichments together. Turn the dough out onto the counter and continue kneading until all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporate, about four minutes. If needed, use a bench scraper to scrape up the dough and bring it back to you.
Knead: Knead an additional 10-12 minutes, approximately 600 strokes. The dough will become shaggy at first, but will begin to come together and form a ball. Remember your bench scraper. I knead with my left hand at this point and scrape the dough up and over with my right. DO NOT ADD ADDITIONAL FLOUR.
Autolyse: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for at least 20 minutes. If you can afford the time, allow the dough a full 30 minute autolyse. The dough will undergo a drastic change in texture as it rests and soaks in moisture.
Knead: After the autolyse, the dough will be smooth and elastic. If the gluten is not completely developed another 10 minute kneading cycle should do the trick. Make sure your gluten is completely developed by doing the window pane test. See Making Yeast Breads
Fermentation: Place the dough in a lightly oiled container. I use a Clear container with tall straight sides which allows me to watch the dough. Allow the dough to rest and double in size, 45 minutes to an hour. During fermentation the flavors of the dough will continue to develop. The gluten is becoming even more elastic and the dough becomes fully hydrated.
While the dough is fermenting, Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and brush them lightly with the vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
Bring 2 1/2 quarts of water and 2/3 Cup baking soda to a rolling boil in a large saucepan.
Shape: Turn the dough onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8, 12, or 16 equal pieces, depending on the size of pretzel you want. I like them big. Roll out each piece of dough into a long rope. Make an upside down U-shape with the rope. Holding the ends of the rope, twist them over each other once and press onto the top corners of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.
Place the pretzels onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet.
One by one, place the pretzels into the boiling soda water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large spatula. Return the pretzel to the cookie sheet. Repeat with each pretzel.
Brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with pretzel salt, cinnamon and sugar, or garlic and butter. Bake until dark golden brown, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.
Enjoy!