Soft Pretzels

[ Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Start to Finish: 2 Hours 15 Minutes | 12 pretzels ]

  • Pretzels
  • 2 packages regular active dry yeast
  • ⅔ cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
  • 1 cup tapioca flour
  • ⅔ cup sweet white sorghum flour
  • ¼ cup garbanzo and fava flour
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
  • ½ teaspoon guar gum
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  •   Additional garbanzo and fava flour
  • Soda Bath
  •   Cooking spray (without flour)
  • ⅔ cup baking soda
  • 10 cups water
  • Topping
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon kosher (coarse) salt

  1. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper; spray paper with cooking spray (without flour). In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside.

  2. In small bowl, mix all flours, cornstarch, xanthan gum, guar gum and 1 teaspoon table salt with whisk; set aside. In medium bowl, beat 3 eggs, the sugar and honey with electric mixer on medium speed 1 minute or until well blended. Add yeast mixture and flour mixture; beat 1 minute or until blended.

  3. Divide and shape dough into 12 equal-size balls. On work surface sprinkled with additional garbanzo and fava flour, roll each ball into 13x¾-inch rope. Carefully place ropes on cookie sheet; form into U shape and twist in middle. Spray tops of pretzels with cooking spray (without flour). Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

  4. Heat oven to 375°F. In 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, stir baking soda into water until dissolved. Heat to full rolling boil. Carefully place 1 pretzel at a time in water; boil 25 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and return to cookie sheet. Brush tops of pretzels with beaten egg, being careful not to fill openings with egg; sprinkle with kosher salt.

  5. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

1 Pretzel: Calories 160; Total Fat 2g (Saturated Fat 0.5g; Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 70mg; Sodium 4140mg; Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 4g Exchanges: 2 Starch Carbohydrate Choices: 2

Contributed by Jean Duane Alternative Cook www.alternativecook.com

Place cooled pretzels individually in resealable food-storage plastic sandwich bags. Place those bags in a gallon-size freezer plastic bag and store in the freezer. For a quick snack anytime, take a pretzel out of the freezer, remove from bag and reheat in a toaster oven for 5 to 7 minutes.

Xanthan gum combined with guar gum makes a nicely textured pretzel. If you don’t have guar gum, add an extra ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum to the recipe.