Pumpkin Pretzel Sticks
Pumpkin adds a unique flavor to these pub worthy Pumpkin Pretzel Sticks for #PumpkinWeek. Serve with Beer Cheese for delicious appetizer.
It’s #PumpkinWeek! I’ve participated in this even with Terri at Love and Confections for two years now. This will be my third year with this event. It’s so much fun to cook with such a versatile ingredient; PUMPKINS! Hence #PumpkinWeek? Oh, yeah, it IS Monday. I know…
Anyway, this year, I really thought about the recipes I wanted to make for this event. I should have had them made already, but my Harris Teeter didn’t have the pumpkin I ordered. Not only that, but they didn’t call me to let me know so I could go with my back up plan.
That irritated me, but not as much as the moldy bagel things I purchased just last week. Consequently, I wound up calling them to let them know I was disappointed. They gave me new thins, but no pumpkin. I would just have to wait for the pumpkin.
Since they had the pumpkin this weekend I’m putting together my recipes this week. Well, at least MOST of the recipes this weekend. I need to figure out when to make the third and final one, but I’ll just whip it up even if we don’t eat it at home. I can always take it to work and it’ll more than likely get eaten there. Love that bake and take.
Okay, for those not familiar with #PumpkinWeek, it is sort of self-explanatory. All the recipes that we share this week all have pumpkin as the main ingredient. There’s a huge range of recipes from sweet to savory; even with my own contributions. Today I’m sharing these pretzels and tomorrow it will be something sweet for dessert. And it smelled amazing coming out of the oven last night. Just saying.
Now, I have to confess that I’ve tried to make pretzels before.
I have one recipe on the blog already. You’ll just have to check it out. They’re okay but they don’t have the gorgeous color that these do. I mean have you seen the crust on those babies? I was so impressed with my skills that I just had to share them on Instagram. That’s how much I wanted y’all to see them.
After that last recipe, and because I love pretzels so much, I became determined to make pub worthy pretzels at home. With this in mind, I did some research. Like a lot of research, to be honest. I read post after post about how to make the best pretzels at home. Like bagels, it’s all in the water bath.
Most of the posts I read had the water bath with baking soda. That’s the common method because most people are not huge fans of using lye. Even food grade lye. Yes. The best BEST pretzels use food grade lye in their water bath. From what I have read, it offers the best, crispiest crust on the outside of the pretzels.
In spite of wanted crisp pretzel skins, I didn’t go this route. I stuck with the typical baking soda bath for these pretzels. I was not about to try something that new with this recipe. However, at some point, I will definitely be trying the lye method for amazing pretzels. I have a good start to delicious crispiness and pretzels flavor with these babies.
Oh? I didn’t tell you that these Pumpkin Pretzel Sticks taste like actual pretzels?
Oh yeah baby!! They have that pretzel flavor you’re expecting from a bag of pretzels at the store but in a softer version. It’s the baking soda bath that gives them that flavor. For those not interested in such a strong pretzel flavor, cut the baking soda to 1/2 a cup. That should give you a decent crust and not have that pretzel flavor I loved with these.
Of course, at my local watering hole, they serve these with mustard and beer cheese. Since I have an incredible fondness for beer cheese, I decide to whip up batch to have with these babies. Because I can do that; whip up batch. It’s a simple recipe that I’ve made for decades now.
And it’s oh so good with these pretzels. The pretzels themselves are a little on the sweet side. The sharp cheddar and the garlic both in this beer cheese pairs well with the slightly sweet pretzels. Combined, they make for a great afternoon snack, appetizer, or game day treat.
I’m just in love with that gorgeous color, aren’t you? I can’t toot my own horn enough on these beauties. They have that pub taste and feel I aimed to achieve. The outside is chewy and the inside is tender and sweet. I can’t wait to make the second batch of these. Oh yeah, I froze half the dough for later. Since one batch makes about 32 pretzel sticks, you can easily freeze part of it to eat later.
That is unless you want to make all 32 pretzels. Have you ever tried to make pub style pretzel sticks at home? Make sure you see what the rest of the bloggers cooked up with pumpkin today!
Pumpkin Pretzel Sticks
Pumpkin adds a unique flavor to these pub worthy Pumpkin Pretzel Sticks.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
- 1 1/3 cup warm water (100 - 110 F)
- 2 large eggs, divided
- 2/3 cup pumpkin
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 teapsoons salt
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 6 cups water
- 3/4 cup baking soda
Instructions
- Combine water with yeast with a whisk in the bowl of a stand mixer and allow to bloom 5 minutes or until frothy.
- While the yeast is blooming, combine the combine one of the eggs with the next 4 ingredients (pumpkin through salt) in a small mixing bowl.
- Once the yeast has bloomed, add the flour and the pumpkin mixture to the stand mix. With the paddle attachment, stir until the mixture begins to come together. Change to the bread hook and continue to mix until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, adding additional flour as needed.
- Beat on high 5 minutes or until the dough forms a smooth ball.
- Turn out on to a floured work surface and knead lightly, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Place the dough into a lightly oiled proofing bowl and allow to raise one hour or until doubled.
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead to deflate any remaining bubbles. Divide the dough half. Working with one half at a time, divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Roll each portion out to about 6 to 8 inches in length and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or buttered parchment. Allow to rest while you prepare the water bath.
- Heat the water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, carefully add the baking soda. It will bubble up, so I suggest adding it a little bit at a time.
- When all of the baking soda has been added and dissolved, drop 1 to 2 pretzel sticks into the water and cook 30 seconds, flip, and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the water bath and place on a plate lined with paper towels to dry before putting them back into the silpat.
- Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush each stick with the egg wash before sprinkling with pretzel salt. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with beer cheese.
#PumpkinWeek Recipes
- Amish Pumpkin Roll from Palatable Pastime
- Pecan Pumpkin Cobbler from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Pumpkin Bread from The Freshman Cook
- Pumpkin Cookies with Butter Rum Icing from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Pumpkin Creme Brulee from Love and Confections
- Pumpkin Glazed Bacon from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
- Pumpkin Milkshake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Pumpkin Muffins from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Pumpkin Pretzel Sticks from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
These look amazing! I love soft pretzels! Pumpkin sounds like a cool addition! I do a baking soda bath, I’m not a fan of lye.
I do, too. I order them every time I see them on the menu. Supposedly lye gives the best results, but I’m like you…
They certainly did turn out beautifully Christie.
Thank you, Wendy!
I love the idea of these and they look so good. I didn’t know about the water bath part – thanks for doing all the research so I don’t have to 🙂
Thank you, Caroline! The water bath is essential to the nice crusty on the outside of the pretzel.
I have to say yum, yum, yum! These really look good. I would have never thought to make pretzel sticks with pumpkin. You are so smart! Great recipe – I will have to give it a try.
Thank you, Cynthia! I toyed with the sweet idea, but went traditional. You could totally make these sweet, add some curry for a different flavor. They’re so versatile!