Homemade Pretzel Buns

This past weekend was wonderful!  Not only was it one of my favorite days of the year, St. Patrick's day, but the weather was amazing.  Sunny and 75-80 degrees all weekend!!  It was a gorgeous day to sit outside and have a few cold drinks with friends.  Being that it is only March, the weather got me excited for summer.  I love to grill in the summer and Sunday night  I decided to grill some andouille sausage with caramelized onions.  However just a normal bun would not work for the first grill of the year.  Therefore I made homemade pretzel buns!!  The salty and sweet taste that the pretzel bun adds to any meal is worth the time to make them at home.



 Preztel Hot Dog Buns

    serves 8

1 cup milk

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons honey

1 packet active dry yeast

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 small cloves of garlic, chopped

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup bread flour

1/2 cup baking soda

Sea Salt for garnishing

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup water, sugar and honey to 105-110 degrees F.  Add to the bowl of your mixer.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water mixture, do not stir, and wait 10-15 minutes until it is bubbly and the yeast blooms. 

In a seperate saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and garlic for 2-3 minutes.  Combine the all-purpose flour and the bread flour in a bowl together.

Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl with the blooming yeast, and then add in the melted butter and garlic mixture.  Mix on medium speed until the dough had come together and is smooth and elastic in texture and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.  ( around 5-7 minutes)

Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and form into a ball.  Cut into 8 pieces.  Using your hands, roll each piece into a ball and place onto the prepared baking sheet.  Cover with a dish cloth and let them rest in a warm place ( next to the oven is alway a good place) for 12-15 minutes.  ( They should double in size)

Once rested, lightly dust your work space again and roll the balls into 7-inch logs.  Place onto the other prepared baking sheet, cover, place back in the warm spot and let rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Place one oven rack high and one low. 

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil, and then add the baking soda.  Be careful as the water will bubble!  In batches, place the dough in the water and cook for 30 seconds on each side.  This is what will give your buns the night chewy texture and crust.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the logs and place nto the prepared baking sheets.  Sprinkle with sea salt as they come out of the water.  Then cut 3 diagonal slits on the top of the bread, not too deep!

Bake for 10 -13 minutes, rotating between the top and bottom racks of the oven halfway through the cooking time.

recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com