pumpkin pretzels
Only a matter of time before my autumnal white girl and German mustard freak shook hands in one recipe.
I’ve got my mom to thank for these cuties. She suggested them a few weekends ago when I was trying to figure out how I wanted to spend my kitchen time on Saturday, and even though I didn’t end up exploring the soft pretzel that day, I kept thinking they’d be a fun little project when I needed some joy.
Let me tell you, I was not hyped this week at all to do anything more than the necessities of existence (groceries, The Day Job, mobility work, gym, running, ensuring J has plenty of meal preps for his busy workdays, etc.) Even finishing these pretzels felt burdensome, particularly because the day I did so was hectic from the moment I got up until I buzzed home from work after an unusually busy day and a failed attempt to squeeze into the Trader Joe’s parking lot.
Shit, I didn’t even shower before I popped into the kitchen and started playing with these bad boys. Once I saw these cute, grumpy little knots come together, though, I started feeling a bit more settled and a bit less harangued by Existence.
Meet the Pumpkin Pretzel. I chose a savory approach, with just a wee bit of spice to amp up the soft and fluffy gameday favorite. Serve these with cheese sauce or honey mustard while watching your favorite teams duke it out, bookmark for Thanksgiving, or just bake up when you’re bored and craving beer cheese broccoli noodle soup on a crisp little day. It is just the perfect dunker for your ideal comforting bowl.
You’ve Been Punk(in)’d
The base dough of the soft pretzel is somewhere between sandwich bread and brioche: it’s not quite as rich as nor is it eggy like the latter, but does contain some butter (and in this case, pumpkin puree) so it’s a bit more elevated than your basic loaf. Still, not complicated to work with by any stretch.
Start out by proofing a packet of yeast in warm pumpkin beer, or any beer you have (lagers, ales, and pilsners are best), and a little brown sugar until its nice and foamy. If it’s not foamy, your yeast be perished, son.
Then, whisk in some melted butter and pumpkin puree. Attach your bread hook, if you’re using a stand mixer, and toss in some cinnamon and ginger, and salt. Gradually incorporate the flour. I start with 2 cups and work my way up, until a tacky, smooth, but not sticky dough forms. I needed 3 cups precisely for my batch, but depending on how moody your dough is on that given day, you might need up to 3 1/2.
Continue kneading with your mixer, or turn the ball onto a floured surface and knead by hand. Transfer the dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size.
Or, you can put the bowl in the fridge and let the dough rise overnight. Just make sure you pull it out about an hour before you plan to bake so it has some time to warm up and become more pliable.
Fire Burn and Cast Iron Bubble
After the rising time, punch down the dough and divide into 8 balls.
Roll, press, and swing one ball of the dough into a long rope. This process is both annoying as fuck and kinda fun, so embrace that shit.
Now, writing a description of how to twist a pretzel is hard as hell. Basically, I wrapped both ends around each other twice then pinched the tips to the bottom of the dough rope to seal. The photo might help you discern my meaning. When you’ve formed your pretzels, pop them on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover, and let them rise a little more.
Warm the oven to 425, and bring a big pot of water to a boil. Stir some baking soda into that hot mess of H2O. The “bath” is what gives the pretzel its trademark exterior cronch.
Pop one or two pretzels into the water and boil for 30 seconds. They will get wrinkly and deflate – this is to be expected. Remove with a slotted spoon back to the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of your pretzels. Blot them off with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Brush those babes with the egg wash, sprinkle with plenty of coarse kosher salt, and bake until golden, poofy, and pretty!
Pretzels are pretty easy to veganify. Swap out the regular butter with vegan butter, and instead of the egg wash brush with a little more melted vegan butter. You won’t get the same gloss as with the egg, but you will get a nice browned finish.
If you plan to store the pretzels, the best way I’ve found is to freeze them. Fridge and room temp humidity will render them wrinkly and awkward. From the freezer, you can pop them straight in the oven to reheat and maintain a good amount of their textural integrity.
I cannot wait to plunge one of these puppies into a bowl of TJ’s autumn soup tonight. I’ve been eager for that shit all day. A small thing, but small things are important, y’know?
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Gameday menu: complete
Crispy Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos
Spicy Buffalo Chickpea Sliders
Cheesy Buffalo Ranch Pretzel Snack Mix
pumpkin pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 cup pumpkin beer, or beer of choice, lukewarm
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 3-3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- pretzel or coarse kosher salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, beer, and brown sugar. Let sit 5-10 minutes until very frothy.
- Stir in the melted butter and pumpkin puree. Attach the bread hook to your mixer. Add 2 cups of flour, the cinnamon, and ginger, and begin stirring on low speed. Add 1 cup more and knead until a tacky, cohesive dough forms, about 5-10 minutes. If the dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time to achieve the correct texture.
- If kneading by hand, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.
- Spray a large, clean bowl with oil. Turn the dough into the bowl to coat both sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal balls. Roll each ball into a rope about 2 feet in length. Wrap the right length of the rope towards the center, then twist the left overtop. Wrap the right under the left again to make two little knot things. That's a shit description so hopefully the photos will help. Pinch the two ends to the bottom of the pretzel and set on the baking sheet. Repeat with each ball. Cover and let rise another 15 minutes until slightly puffed.
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Carefully stir in the baking soda. Drop up to 2 bagels in at a time and boil for 30 seconds. They will deflate. Remove to the baking sheet with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
- Blot any extra moisture off the parchment paper and the pretzels with a paper towel. Brush each pretzel with the beaten egg. Sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Bake 12-15 minutes until puffy, golden, and crisp on top. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve!
