A sprinkling of coarse sea salt not only gives these charming, heart-shaped pretzels their well-known appearance, but it also creates a lovely balance of flavor when served with a delicately sweet Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce. Pictured with our “Heart-tea” Grilled Cheese & Prosciutto Sandwiches and A Little Pizza My Heart.
Pretzel for Your Heart
Serves: 24
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour, divided
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1⁄8 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1⁄2 cup whole milk
- 8 1⁄4 cups water, divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons baking soda
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
- Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat together milk, 1⁄4 cup water, and butter on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until mixture registers 120° to 130° on an instant-read thermometer. Add warm milk mixture to flour mixture and beat with mixer at low speed until combined. Gradually beat in remaining 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour just until combined, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until a smooth, elastic, slightly sticky dough forms, approximately 10 minutes, stopping to scrape dough hook and down sides of bowl as needed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth, 3 to 4 times. Shape dough into a smooth ball.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat dough in oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let stand in a warm (75°), draft-free place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Punch down dough; let stand for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Roll each ball into a 12-inch-long rope that tapers 1 inch at each end. Gently brush off any excess flour, and shape each rope into a teardrop shape, with ends pointing up. Twist ends together twice, firmly pinching to seal, then fold down into center of teardrop shape to form a heart.
- Place shaped pretzels on prepared baking sheets. Cover and let rise until slightly puffed, 20 to 30 minutes. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle, approximately 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Fill a medium saucepan with remaining 8 cups water. Add baking soda, and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower pretzels, 2 to 3 at a time and top side down, into boiling water. Boil pretzels for 10 seconds; turn and boil for 15 seconds more. Remove pretzels, and return to prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse sea salt.
- Bake until pretzels are golden brown, approximately 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce.
Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce
Serves: approximately 3⁄4 cup
Ingredients
- 1⁄3 cup Dijon mustard
- 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
- 1⁄4 cup honey
- 1⁄2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together mustard, mayonnaise, honey, vinegar, and paprika. Serve immediately, or transfer to an airtight container, refrigerate, and use within 2 weeks.
