Pretzel Rolls

The first time my kids and I saw the pretzel rolls, it was like seeing a rainbow on a cloudy day. They looked tasty, and they were. The ingredients were simple flour, baking soda, yeast, salt. But a few months afterward, I noticed that the labeling changed, seeing more strange ingredient listed.

After I decided to stop buying any more pretzel rolls, my kids were pretty upset. What could they do? Well, they asked ME to bake some for them. The things I do for my kids.

Every time I test a new recipe, I always give a pizza dough or a bao dough a go. Both of these recipes are very versatile. Since the store bought pretzel rolls had the chewy texture, I decided to go with my pizza dough recipe.

Making the dough and rolling it out into pretzel shape was super duper easy. The challenge was getting the pretzel rolls to have that deep dark caramel color. I have a lot of luck with baking soda wash for other bread. Thinking about it, I figured to go with two baking soda washes. First, baking soda bath. Then ending with baking soda wash. And it worked!!!

Pretzel rolls looked so pur-tee. My kids were "ouuuu" and "ahhhh" when they saw the pretzel rolls. I was a proud mommy. But how did they taste? Chewy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Yup, just like the store bought pretzel rolls but with better ingredients.

Pretzel Rolls
makes 6 rolls

1 pizza dough recipe
8 1/2 cups water, divided
5 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon baking soda, divided

1. Make the pizza dough according to my recipe instruction.
2. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts, about 4.2 to 4.3 oz. each.
3. While the dough rest, boil 8 cups of water in a heavy bottom pot.
4. While the water is heating up, preheat the oven to 400F degree.
5. Line a nonstick mat or parchment paper on a baking pan. Set aside.
6. Once the water comes to full boil, add 5 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 tablespoon at a time. NOTE: Be careful with this step as water will bubble up every time the baking soda is added into the boiling water. If your kids haven't seen this, get them in the kitchen. It's fun to watch.
7. Slash each dough with a sharp knife 3 times.
8. Drop the dough into the boiling water, two at a time.
9. Allow the dough to sit in the boiling water for 30 seconds per side.
10. Take the dough out with a slotted spoon and place them in a prepared pan.
11. Repeat until all the dough gets the baking soda bath.
12. Place 1/2 cup of water in a microwavable bowl.
13. Heat the water on HIGH for 40 seconds.
14. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda into the hot water.
15. Stir with a baking brush.
16. Brush the baking soda wash on to the dough.
17. Bake in a preheated oven until dark brown, about 20 minutes.
18. Let the pretzel rolls cool in a wiring rack. Serve warm or at a room temperature. Enjoy!!!

STORING: Place the pretzel rolls in an air tight container at a room temperature for up to 3 days or in a fridge for 5 days. To reheat, wrap the pretzel rolls in foil. Boil for about 5 to 10 minutes until heated through.

Allergy Info: These pretzel rolls are free from or can be made without dairy, egg, corn, legume (soy), nuts, and fish.