I haven’t exactly made it a secret that carbs are my complete weakness. Warm bread and flavorful pasta are my two biggest culinary joys in the world. I would even take them over chocolate and that is saying something. My love deepened even more when I learned how to make bread in culinary school. We devoted a couple of weeks to it and boy was I in heaven. So I decided to put a twist on the pretzel recipe we learned and make the most amazing homemade pretzel buns! They were much more simple to make than they seemed.
I let the homemade pretzel buns cool completely before I packed them up. The ones I needed right away went into zip top bags and I froze the rest. I made a sandwich with one and I was one happy woman. The little bit of beer gave them a great depth of flavor and they were so incredibly soft! I can’t wait to use them in countless ways. Enjoy, friends! xoxo
These homemade pretzel buns taste just like fluffy soft pretzels with a little added depth of flavor from beer! They're so good for any sandwich.
- 2 cups warm milk
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 packets active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus a pinch to feed the yeast
- 6 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 2 tablespoons beer
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- olive oil, for coating
- 4 cups hot water
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- sea salt for sprinkling on top
- Set up a stand mixer with a dough hook. Pour the warm milk and water into its bowl, it should feel like bath water. Sprinkle the yeast into it and the pinch of sugar to feed it. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so that the yeast activates and starts to foam up. Then add in the rest of the sugar, 3 cups of the flour, vegetable shortening, beer, eggs and salt. Turn the mixer on low and let the dough hook start to blend everything, pushing the sides down occasionally. Then slowly add in the remaining 3 cups of flour a 1/2 cup at a time until a sticky dough forms. Knead the dough for a minute in the bowl to really bring it together. Then lightly drizzle it with the olive oil and make sure it is coated in the bowl. Cover the bowl and set it aside in a warm area for an hour to double in size.
- When the hour is up pre-heat the oven to 350 and line 3 sheet trays with silicone mats. Combine the hot water and baking soda together in a bowl and stir it together to mostly dissolve the baking soda. Take the dough and gently punch it down. Then pull a roughly softball sized portion of it, roll it into a ball and dip it in the baking soda water. Place it on the sheet tray and repeat until all three trays are filled up with 4-6 buns each, depending on how big you want them. They will spread so leave plenty of room. Score a plus sign on the tops of each bun for some interest, then brush them all well with the melted butter. Finally, sprinkle them all generously with sea salt on top.
- Bake the pretzel buns for 20-25 minutes, until they are deep golden brown and fluffy. Rotate the trays halfway through to ensure even baking, or you could bake one tray at a time. Let them cool on the trays for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a rack to finish cooling. Take what you need for sandwiches, burgers, etc and freeze the rest for later! Enjoy!
Now these pretzel buns looking mighty good to me!
I am imaging all the ways I’ll be able to use them, fun foods!
I have one question Leigh, is there anything you can think of for substituting the beer with?
We hardly ever have beer in our house, especially for the amount needed in this recipe.
Would apple cider vinegar be OK? A broth of some kind maybe?
Thanks!
Hi Dalila! Yes, you could definitely try substituting olive oil or a mild vinegar like apple cider instead. I haven’t tested how they would come out using them, so I can’t vouch for whether it will work but I think an oil or vinegar should be great 🙂
Sounds good, thanks Leigh. ?
I’ll try both ways and see how they come out. Crossing my fingers for luck! ??
BTW ~ made the cupcakes with the pudding and they were a hit!!
Good luck with the pretzel buns Dalila, I’m crossing all of my fingers too!! Please let me know how they come out. Oh, I am so happy the cupcakes were a hit! That is fantastic to hear 😀
I have never heard of a Pretzel Bun but these look amazing! I’ll have to try it out
Definitely try them, they are SO good!!
I love bread. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be fit and trim because of recipes like these pretzel buns. Thanks for enabling my habit, Leigh!
Carb lovers unite, Marta!! Hehe :-).
Is there anything more heavenly than warm bread? Seriously! I totally agree with you on that and this recipe sounds amazing
There is really nothing like warm bread for sure!!
Yum. I should spoil the family one week and make these buns for our lunch sandwiches!
Yes you should!!
omg that looks so good!! Thanks for sharing this recipe
Thank you so much!!