the mall pretzels

When I was a teenager, I loved nothing more than going to the mall. Usually I was there with my friend Briea. After debating about what to spend our allowances on, surrendering to spontaneous fits of giggling, and bringing too many clothes into the dressing rooms, we'd saunter down to the food court and split a soft pretzel.

The mall and I don't see much of each other anymore, but I do still crave the occasional chewy, buttery pretzel. Lucky for me (and you), soft pretzels are easy to make. The secret to getting that lovely brown shade is to give them a brief baking soda bath.

Watch the video below or here. (Music: San Dimas Oasis by Coolrunnings.) Happy eating!

The Mall Pretzels (makes 6)
adapted from Jeannie Yee

¾ cup warm water (110°F)
1 ¼ tsp of active dry yeast (half of a .25 ounce package)
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water (110°F)
2 tbsp baking soda (for soaking)
½ tbsp butter, melted
coarse kosher salt (or pretzel salt)
mustard, for dipping (optional)

Pour ¾ cup warm water into a mixing bowl. Dissolve yeast, brown sugar, and salt into the water. Stir in flour. When mixture comes together, dump onto a floured surface. Knead dough about 8 minutes, until smooth. Pour a few drops of olive oil into mixing bowl; place dough in and turn to coat surface. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

When dough is ready, cut into 6 pieces. Roll each into ½ inch thick ropes. Shape pretzels by forming a U, then twisting ends and flipping over onto itself, gently pressing overlapping dough to seal. Let rise for 15 minutes.

Fill a bowl with 1 cup warm water. Add baking soda and stir. Soak each pretzel for 30 seconds, flipping over halfway through if not fully submerged. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle coarse salt over top. (If you prefer sweet pretzels, use cinnamon sugar instead of salt.) Bake at 450°F for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. For an extra buttery flavor, brush on a little more melted butter when the pretzels come out of the oven.

Comments

[Lisa Maria]

I love your description of hanging out at the mall! That sounds exactly like many, many weekends of mine - which also included daring each other to talk to boys but then never following through. That pretzel recipe looks amazing!

[linda]

hahhaaha. i love auntie anne's pretzels! and amazing video as always rachel.

[Pistachio]

I love your videos and I love pretzels! I will have to try this out for sure.
Cheers!!

[Lena]

Mall pretzels-the only thing I occasionally miss about the suburban mall. I will have to give these a try, although I won't be nearly as adorable as you are in this video!

[angie]

is it just me, or do you have a really delicate/grace-like way of cooking/baking? at least your videos always give me that impression. i cook like a clumsy, undisciplined viking who clearly doesn't belong in the kitchen.

[Kayla @ Exquisite Banana]

Ahahaha Angie's comment just cracked me up. And you've successfully convinced me to stop by the pretzel cart on the corner this weekend. Until I find the time to make my own, I'll settle for New York's finest ;)

[monica of hola!design]

I didn't know pretzels were so easy to make! great video.

[melanie]

I totally ate a mall pretzel today! The 17 year old behind the counter asked if I worked at the mall. No thank you.

Gotta try these!

[Amber]

*awesome*

[janis]

Oh those look amazing! lovely little video.

[Efrat]

I feel inspired! Seems like something I can make :)

[Marisa]

I am loving your baking videos! I've never made pretzels before, will have to give this a try!

[christine]

i made these tonight and they are delightful! mmm and the recipe is so easy too. thanks so much!

[jillian m. {coffee, light and sweet}]

perfect! i love watching your videos. you certainly have a way with your hands. everything always comes out so beautifully done!

[alison]

Lady! You've done it once again. I think you missed your calling... I love your jewelry (I have two of your necklaces) but you were meant to be a food stylist - your photos are amazing!

[Vanessa]

I could devour an Auntie Anne's with caramel sauce right now. And yours look delicious as well, so I'll definitely be testing this recipe out on my very lucky boyfriend.

[Lexie]

Looks INCREDIBLE. yum yum yum. i love that you were a mallrat as a teen.

[val]

these look amazing! i'll have to give it a shot one of these days. thanks!

[Gloria]

i LOVE auntie anne's pretzels - so buttery and salty and delicious. i should probably NOT try this recipe for fear of eating them all in one sitting :-)

[Michelle]

Oh my gosh, they're so cute! I wonder if they'd work with a gluten-free flour...hmm, maybe I'll try.

[Cassandra Marie]

Lol...I actually did a little happy dance when I saw that you posted a new recipe video! :D Now I was a soft pretzel...

[tara]

making these tomorrow! can't wait. neither can our five-year-old. your videos are ridiculously charming, too.

[michelle]

my friends and I used to always buy auntie anne's cinnamon-sugar pretzels. sweet and chewy goodness!

[Courtney]

This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I never really knew how to "knead" until watching this.

So thank you :) I can't wait to try these!!

[Eva @ Four Leaf Clover]

I love your food videos! I make soft pretzels quite often, but I've never heard of the baking soda bath... will definitely have to try that next time. Thank you!

[E]

I just went through and watched all of your food videos... Uh. I LOVE THEM!!! They make me so happy because they are all about food and are super cute!

[Joke]

i'm your biggest fan! :) xoxo

[Truly Smitten]

Yum!! I'm so hungry now =)

[avid chancer]

There is nothing better to do at a mall than by a mall pretzel. So thank you so much for this recipe and recipe. I will definitely be making some soon.

[donna]

Omg!!!! I just made these and deep down was thinking ya we'll see how close they are and they are dead on !!!!! I just wish I prepared cheese sauce... Guess that's what I get for not believing...I've soo pasted this on my twitter and fb awesome job!!!

[Alice]

Oh these look delicious! Very fun video! I'll have to watch the video carefully so I don't mess up! Yum...

[valerie]

Great video. Did you shoot with your camera ? What is it ?

[Tara]

can't wait to try these! my mouth is watering already...

[Amy]

I have been checking EVERY day to see if you've updated with a new recipe.... fingers still crossed :).

[Ashley Terrago]

These were amazing! I made them for my husband's birthday party and they were a HUGE hit. Everyone thought I was the most amazing baking wife, but they were so easy!

Thanks so much!

[EmmaD]

love love love the video

[Stellery]

This is such a fab video. I followed the instructions and made my own mall pretzels today. They were flawless!

[FI Groves]

i love this recipe and the video is amazing! Thank you :)

[Lauren]

i made these a few weeks ago and had intended on sharing them but i had to have one... okay, two... when they came out of the oven. i may have only given one away - they are so good and so easy! i'm going to make them again today but will make a few modifications... garlic butter and i'm going to sprinkle some parmesan cheese on before they go in to bake. YUM!

[Terri P.]

I made these last night and they were just delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe. Even my picky-eater son loved them!