Coach K's vegan soft pretzel recipe (and top-secret twist-and-coil method)
I’ve been making (and eating) these pretzels for years. Boiling them before baking gives them a golden brown colour and a seriously chewy texture. You can shape them the traditional way, or try the twist-and-coil method I invented to fit more pretzels on one baking sheet. Efficient and pretty!
Are pretzels a “fitness food”? Sure, if you eat one before a workout. Carbs are your muscles’ preferred fuel, and a soft pretzel is an easy pre-training snack. Or just eat one because it’s delicious!
This recipe makes a lot of pretzels (16, to be exact), so halve the recipe if you want 8 instead. After eating a few fresh, I always freeze pretzels so I have an easy-to-grab snack option!
This recipe is adapted from one by Love and Lemons.
Pretzel ingredients
2 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3 cups water (1 cup for proofing, 2 cups for dough)
1/2 cup olive oil
8 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons salt
~2 tbsp coarse salt (for sprinkling)
Boiling ingredients
4 litres water
3 tbsp baking soda
The how-to:
1. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of warm water with the agave or maple syrup. Sprinkle in the yeast, and whisk briefly to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, the 2 remaining cups of water, and olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough comes together.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured countertop. Knead for 3-5 minutes, until dough is smooth and stretchy.
4. Place dough back into the mixing bowl. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 to 1.5 hours, until doubled in size.
5. Punch the dough down, and turn it out onto a clean counter. Don’t flour the counter! The dough needs to stick slightly to the counter so it rolls out easily. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. (I usually cut it in half, in half again, and then divide each of those pieces into 4.)
6. Roll each piece into a 20- to 24-inch rope. Fold the rope in half and hold both ends. Twist in opposite directions to create a “DNA” twist. Coil the rope onto itself, and attach the end to the bottom. Don’t be afraid to press fairly hard; you need to make sure it stays together when boiling.
Here's the twist-and-coil method:
7. Let the pretzels rise for about 20 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 450°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
9. In a large pot, mix baking soda into the water and bring to a boil. Drop in 2-3 pretzels at a time and boil for about 20 seconds each side. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula and place onto baking sheet. Sprinkle each pretzel with a pinch of coarse salt.
10. Bake for 18 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on the outside.
11. Cool on a cooling rack. Once cool, you can freeze pretzels in large freezer bags or airtight plastic containers. To reheat, microwave on low power for 30 seconds, then heat in a toaster oven for about 4 minutes.
Makes 16 pretzels.
Pretzel pics: (1) my sister and me enjoying pretzels we'd just baked, (2) a pretzel tray I made for my friend's 80th birthday (I mean, what else would I make for someone who doesn't have a sweet tooth?!), (3) traditionally-shaped pretzels before I started using the (4) twist-and-coil method.
Build muscle, improve body composition, and optimize long-term health on a plant-based diet!
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