Why are soft pretzels so good? I love them. My kids love them. And anyone I’ve shared them with, goes nuts for them too. I’m guessing you might feel the same. They’re just so pillow-y soft and very hard to resist, right?! Well, these Soft Pumpkin Pretzels with Spiced Maple Mustard are no exception at all. In fact, for me they’re even more irrisistable with the addition of the pumpkin and warm fall flavors. And their deep golden color is gorgeous too.
And just like plain soft pretzels or my delicious Soft Beer Pretzels, these are really easy to make. Dare I say foolproof. Possibly even faster than it might take you to drive to the mall, park, mask up and walk to that infamous beloved soft pretzel stand. I guess depending on where you live. But the point is, these are fun and quick to whip up and the smell out of the oven is amazing. Not to mention, a whole batch of ten of these will probably cost you less than 1 of those shop-bought pretzels. And they freeze beautifully for an anytime snack or compliment to lunch or dinner.
So, let’s talk about what you’ll need for these and how to put them together. The ingredient list consists of- warm water, instant yeast, pumpkin puree, all-purpose flour, a little sugar, salt, cinnamon and butter. To make them, you’ll let the yeast sit with the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 10 minutes until foamy. Then you’ll add the rest of the ingredients and mix using the dough hook attachment, adding a little more flour if necessary, until it forms a smooth ball. Then a little kneading on the counter for about 6 minutes and the dough gets popped into an oiled bowl to proof and double in size, taking about an hour.
Then once the dough has doubled, it gets turned out onto a lightly oiled surface, divided into 10 pieces and shaped. You get that classic pretzel look by rolling each piece into a rope about 20 inches long. Then make it into a U-shape, and holding the ends of the rope, bring them up and cross them over and under each other, making a twist in the middle and pressing the ends onto the bottom of the pretzel. Sounds complicated but once you do it, it makes sense. You can refer to the photos below from my beer pretzels for assistance.
The key to giving soft pretzels that unmistakable flavor, is the hot water/ baking soda bath they get dipped in for 30 seconds. This part is important and it’s equally important to note not to let them sit in that water for more time than the 30 seconds as the flavor can be negatively affected. Then once they’re out of the water bath and back on the parchment-lined pans, you brush them with a quick egg wash, sprinkle some coarse salt on top and into the oven they go for about 13 minutes.
And while they bake, the simplest but spot-on Spiced Maple Mustard can be made. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Some mustard, both yellow and dijon, whisked with some maple syrup, a little cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of chili powder. This takes seconds but is so yummy and the perfect dip for these pretzels.
Aaaand, if you want to make a fun twist (ha get it) on these. You can make a few sweet pretzels to go with your savory snacks. All you do is, instead of giving them the egg wash or salt sprinkle once they’re out of the hot water dunk, you leave them plain. Bake them with nothing on top, then out of the oven when they’re not piping hot, brush some melted butter on top and then dip them in cinnamon sugar. It’s good. Really good. And a sweet treat I’ll take any day.
Give these a try, I think they’ll make a fabulous special snack this weekend. And if you do, as always, I would so love to hear about it. Happy Sunday and fall baking!
Soft Pumpkin Pretzels with Spiced Maple Mustard
Ingredients
- 8 oz warm water (110-112F)
- 2 1/4 tsps (1 packet) instant yeast
- 4 oz pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 4 cups (512g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps brown sugar
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tbsps (21g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
For the water bath:
- 9 cups water
- 1/2 cup baking soda
For the tops:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp water
- coarse salt
Spiced Maple Mustard
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 2 tbsps dijon mustard
- 1-2 tbsps maple syrup
- 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch chili powder (optional)
Instructions
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Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir in the yeast until dissolved. Let that sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
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Then fit the mixer with the hook attachment, and add the pumpkin puree and the rest of the pretzel ingredients ending with the melted butter. Mix on low speed until smooth. This will take about 10 minutes. You can scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary, but towards the end it should form a ball that naturally pulls away from the bowl. If it seems too sticky, you can add a little more flour as necessary.
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Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead for about 6 minutes. Then place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning over once to coat the top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
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Towards the end of the proofing time, preheat the oven to 425F/ 218C and line two sheet trays with parchment paper. Put the 9 cups of water and 1/2 cup of baking soda into a large pot or dutch oven and bring to a boil.
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Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough slightly and place onto a lightly oiled surface. Evenly divide it into 10 pieces.
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To shape the pretzels, roll each piece into about an 18" rope. Shape into a wide U, start to make a heart and then twist the two ends over eachother and criss-cross down into the classic pretzel shape, pushing the ends into the dough a little to secure. (see below pictures) Place the shaped pretzels onto the parchment while assembling the rest.
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Once all the pretzels are shaped, carefully drop 2-3 pretzels at a time into the boiling baking soda water for 30 seconds. (be sure not to leave longer than 30 seconds or the taste will be negatively affected.) Remove with a slotted spoon and place back on the parchment paper, leaving a few inches in between each pretzel while you finish the rest.
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Then make an egg wash by whisking the egg yolk with the tablespoon of water.
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Brush the tops of each pretzel with the eggwash and give a generous sprinkling of the course salt. Bake in the preheated oven for about 11 -13 minutes until golden brown.
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Make the Maple Mustard while the pretzels bake. Add all of the ingredients for the mustard to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Start with the smaller amount of cinnamon and maple syrup and adjust to taste.
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Once the pretzels are done, let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes then carefully use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack. Enjoy warm or at room temp dipped in the maple mustard.
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*For a sweet contrast to these savory pretzels, you can brush some of the baked pretzels with some melted butter a few minutes after they come out of the oven, then dip them in cinnamon sugar. (For the cinnamon sugar, mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1 tbsp of ground cinnamon.)
Recipe Notes
Store leftover pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for a few weeks. Pop in the oven to re-heat.
*The pictures below are from my Soft Beer Pretzels to give you a guide on shaping.
