Pretzel Rolls

I don't know about you, but I love a good pretzel roll.  I'm a sucker for a sandwich or burger if it is served on a pretzel roll.  They get me every time.

We were planning on having our neighbors over for dinner so I thought I would give these a shot.  While they require a little planning and some time (need to start prepping them 2 hrs before hand) they were fairly simple to make. They got rave reviews from our guests but Bill didn't love them (although he did have 2 so they must have been ok).  I thought they were quite good although I noticed that if the rolls weren't kept very round, they didn't seem to cook evenly, so that is something to watch next time.

I would make these again but probably only for if we were having people over for dinner or to bring somewhere since they would be hard to make on a week night considering the prep time.  The recipe does say you can freeze them, so maybe making a double batch and trying that might be a good idea if you wanted to use them on a weeknight.

Pretzel Rolls
From: Pennies on a Platter
Prep Time: 2 hrs
Cook Time: 15-20min
Makes 4-5 hamburger sized buns, or 8-10 dinner rolls

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
1 tsp instant yeast
2 1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted then cooled to room temperature
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg, beaten
Kosher or pretzel salt to top rolls

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast, flour, butter, sugar and salt.  If using a stand mixer, use dough hook attachment to mix the ingredients, then knead at medium-high speed for 1 minute.

2. Shape the dough into a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl.  Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Separate into 4-5 equal portions if making hamburger sized buns or 8-10 equal portions if making dinner rolls.  Form into balls by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal.

4. Placed the formed rolls, seam side down, onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.  Cover with the towel and allow to rise again for 30 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large sauce pan, then add 1/4 cup of baking soda. Boil each roll for 1 minute each, flipping over halfway.

6. Place teh boiled rolls back onto the lined baking sheet, seam side down.  Brush the tops with beaten egg, then lightly sprinkle with salt.  Slice a shallow "X" into the top of each roll, then bake for 15-20 minutes.

7. Serve warm or at room temperature.  You can also freeze for later use in a freezer bag once cooled to room temperature.  Microwave for 30 seconds to thaw. (If not consuming the same day they are baked, freeze right away to preserve freshness).