Pretzel Rolls

You know those super awesome pretzel-y rolls you can get in the bakery that are awesome for sandwiches? Yeah, you can make those. Trust me, they are super doable! Let me walk you through it.

Couple notes: you can definitely double this recipe. Freeze the extras or give them to your best friend or neighbor. They will love you for it.

If you let the first proofing go longer -- even as long as a few hours longer -- it is okay. Super flexible.

Pretzel Rolls

Yield: 10 rolls

Ingredients

3 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for working the dough

One (1/4-ounce) envelope fast-acting yeast

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 1/4 cups water, lukewarm (about 110 degrees, or so)

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) coconut oil, melted and cooled

4 1/4 cups cold water

3 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse sea salt

Instructions

Make the dough

In the bowl of your stand mixer fit with the dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add 1 1/4 cup water and coconut oil to the bowl. Mix until well combined, about 2 minutes. The dough shouldn’t be sticky. You can continue kneading in the bowl, or you can transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and continue kneading and punching it down until you have a smooth and elastic ball of dough, 2 to 3 minutes.

Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warmish place until double in size, about 60 minutes.

Shape the balls

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, take it out of the bowl, and knead it for about 30 seconds.

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions of roughly 3 ounces (85 grams) each.

Dust your hands with flour, place one of the portions on the palm of one hand, and with the other hand forming a dome over the dough, roll the dough between your palms until the top is round and firm and you can feel the tension increasing against your hand, about 10 seconds. This creates surface tension and prevents the rolls from deflating and becoming flat. Place the roll on the parchment paper and repeat with the remaining dough.

Cover the rolls with a towel and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 20 to 40 minutes.

Boil and Bake

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large pot wide enough to fit 3 rolls at once, bring the 4 1/4 cups cold water and the baking soda to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Carefully watch the heat as the baking soda-water mixture will foam up and you don’t want it to spill over.

With a slotted ladle or spoon, gently slip 2 rolls into the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Using tongs or the same slotted ladle, flip them and cook for another 30 seconds, being careful to not let them stick to the bottom of the pot. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack to dry and repeat with the remaining rolls. Use the tip of a sharp knife to score a cross on top of each roll. Sprinkle the tops of the rolls with coarse salt while still a bit sticky, so the salt stays adhered.

Once dry, transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake the pretzel rolls until golden brown, about 16 - 20 minutes. If you are baking both pans at the same time, rotate them halfway.

Transfer the rolls to a wire rack to cool slightly. Enjoy while warm! They are awesome cooled, too.