Pretzel Rolls

Pretzel Rolls, like pretzels, can be intimidating but they don’t have to be. These rolls are soft and moist on the inside and have that tough salty chewy crust on the outside. Let’s go through King Arthur's Recipe and make some rolls.

Put the dough ingredients together in the mixer.
*ADD 1/2 tsp of Diastatic Malt Powder.*
* Diastatic Malt Powder helps with the rise and the traditional dark pretzel brown. Some of KAF’s recipes have it, some don’t. I always add it to a pretzel recipe. You can do this recipe without it. *

Mix and knead. Dough should be soft, but not stick to the sides of the bowl while being kneaded. Rest in a covered greased bowl for a little over an hour or until doubled in bulk.
When risen spill out onto a work surface. Degas then cut into 12 equal pieces (The recipe calls to then split the dough into 10 rolls. I make a full dozen. A dozen fits perfectly in a large cookie sheet 3x4.) Pinch each piece into a sphere. Roll in your open fist on the work surface to seal the bottoms. Place onto a lightly greased piece of parchment on a full size cookie sheet.

Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap. Stick the whole pan in the fridge for 15 minutes. Then take it out of the fridge for another 15 minutes. What this does is chills down the inside of your rolls so when you put them in the water bath, just the edges will be effected and the insides will remain soft and delicious. The 15 minutes on the counter lets the outside warm up and the second rise happen.

When you take the pan out of the fridge start your water bath. Combine water, salt, and baking soda in a large deep saute pan. Let it come to a rolling boil then turn down to a rapid simmer. Put a couple of rolls in top down at a time. Let simmer 30 seconds and then turn them over with a large slotted spoon. Let them simmer another 30 seconds. Take them out and line them up on the pan. Slit the top of the roll with a knife or a lame in a cross on the top. Add some pretzel or sea salt. Continue the water bath process until all of the balls are done. Stick the finished pan of rolls right in the 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
They should be a dark brown when they are done. Double think yourself when you think they are done and put them back in another 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy warm with butter or with a little ham and mustard. Yum!