Hey y’all, the exciting part of the NFL season is now upon us and it’s about time that we talk about some serious game day foods. Nothing says game day more than a soft pillowey pretzel and an adult fizzy beverage, that’s right, today I’m sharing with you my vegan soft pretzels recipe.
Super easy to make, super fun to eat and share, these babies are sure to satisfy your craving.
Football and food:
Fast food companies make a truckload of money around the Super Bowl. People tend to order pizza, beer and all kinds of foods that they would not typically make at home. You know like that part of the chicken that you would not eat unless of course somebody deep fries the living hell out of it and drowns it in sauce and spices until you can’t tell what it is anymore.
A.K.A Buffalo chicken wings.
Why of all days in the year do people tend to lose their minds over these things? I mean there are dozens of spectacular games that I remember more fondly than the Super Bowl. Probably because there are a lot less distractions.
You know, like crazy amounts of food, beer and Katy Perry.
So last year I decided to do something different. I made a couple of simple vegan dishes to enjoy with my girlfriend while watching the Panthers lose. My disappointment was very well countered by these delicious pretzels and the absence of the customary morning migraine/hangover.
Mission accomplished.
So here is my gift to you this year: 4 Simple Healthy Vegan recipes that you will enjoy making and sharing with your family for Super Bowl night.
Number 1:
I couldn’t think of a better way to kick it off, pun intended, than by making my vegan soft pretzels recipe. These bad boys are so easy to make, and much heathier for you than the old soft pretzels. You know with all the butter and other toppings that our bodies are running out of ways to really just tell us: “Hells NAH”
The technique:
It’s actually very simple, you start by making a dough that is very similar to that of a pizza dough, except that in here, you’re going to add some kind of sweetener (great vegan option: maple syrup, cane sugar, agave etc.). There are two simple reasons behind this. Number one, your dough needs to be a little on the sweet side. Number two, yeast eats sugar, which means more growth in your dough, and more puffiness in your pretzels.
The other important factor is that you must give your pretzels and alkalinized bath before they go in the oven. No you’re not going to put them in a tub with their favourite yellow duck. An alkalinized bath is essentially just softly boiling your dough in a solution of water and baking soda.
You cannot skip this step, since this is what guarantees that you will end up with pretzels and not cute-looking baked pizza dough.
That’s really it, you don’t need all that butter and milk to make your soft pretzels, or to brush them with melted butter every half an hour.
These stand on their own, as a testament that simple things are the most enjoyable in life.
I hope you will give this a go, and if you like this recipe, why don’t you take a look at my vegan Jamaican patties recipe, it’s so legit you will not believe it is vegan.
Happy new year,
Idriss
Vegan Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
Dough ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar.
- 2 1/4 tsp of yeast.
- 2 cups of all purpose flour.
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp melted vegan butter.
- 3/4 cup warm water.
For the alkaline bath:
- 2 tbsp baking soda
- 6 cups water in a pot for the alkaline bath.
Course salt for sprinkling.
Instructions
- Start by proofing your yeast. Using only 1/4 cup of your water, add your yeast and sugar in it. Stir lightly to dissolve. Give it 5-10 minutes to foam up.
- In a stand mixer bowl, add your flour, salt, your proofed yeast, melted butter, and the rest of your water (1/2 Cup).
- Attach your dough hook to your stand mixer, and mix on low speed for about 4 minutes and then on high speed for about 10 minutes.
- Take out your dough, and shape it into a ball. Brush a clean bowl with some canola oil and place your dough ball in there. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place.
- Let it rise for at least 45 minutes or until it doubles in size.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
- Bring your water to a boil and add the baking soda.
- Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.
- Oil your working surface, take out your dough and punch the air out of it.
- Cut into 6 equal pieces, and roll each out to an approximately 18-22 inches long rope.
- Make your rope into a U shape, and shape into pretzels.
- Your water should be boiling now, boil your pretzels only one a time. Make sure you don't make a splash, drop your pretzels very gently. Let them cook until they puff up, this should not take more than 2 minutes.
- Place all your pretzels on your baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve with some Dijon and a beer.
- Enjoy !
My brother is always looking out for new vegetarian and vegan recipes. I’ll certainly pass this on!
THESE. LOOK. SO. GOOD! Definitely going to try for the Superbowl!
Awesome !
These look so cute and delicious! I will have to try these out next weekend.
Awesome ! Let me know how it goes.
These look great! Can’t wait to try them.
Thank you Andrew !
WOW, these look delicious! There’s nothing better than a homemade pretzel. Perfect for party food!
Absolutely !