Year of Disney: Dumbo with Homemade Soft Pretzels!
It’s time for another week of Disney fun; this week was Dumbo!
I had a hard time with Dumbo at first- simply because I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go. But I finally decided to embrace the circus/carnival aspect- and while it definitely wasn’t the healthiest meal, it was for sure one of my kids’ favorites!
It was pretty much a night of snacks and handheld food. When I picture carnival food, corn dogs and pretzels are some of the first to come to mind, so I decided to do that! I wasn’t feeling ambitious enough to make homemade corn dogs (thank you, pregnancy ;) ), so I just bought a box of frozen Foster Farms corn dogs from the store. However, I wanted to make something homemade, so I found a soft pretzel recipe that I haven’t made for a long time and pulled it out!
Is there anything tastier than soft pretzels, especially dipped in cheese?? These were easily one of the most popular items of the night. And what’s not to love? Warm, chewy bread covered in salt chunks, with that hint of pretzel flavor, and dipped in warm cheese sauce? Absolute heaven!
I decided I also wanted to do a sweet version- because cinnamon pretzels are also super tasty! And when making a special recipe like soft pretzels, you’ve got to experiment a little, right? Just be careful when putting the pretzels into the baking soda bath… it’s really easy to burn your hand in the ensuing bubbles…… I may or may not be speaking from experience ;).
Of course, we had to have peanuts. That is one of Dumbo’s favorite snacks, after all! I bought a big bag of good ol’ regular peanuts, but decided to have fun and also get a bag of marshmallow circus peanuts! I had forgotten how much I enjoy those- and of course my kids loved them too!
In January my mom got me a huge bag of popcorn from Sam’s Club that had 5 different gourmet flavors. I thought our Dumbo night would be the perfect time to pull it out! I pulled out 3 of the flavors: Salt and Pepper, White Cheddar, and Chocolate Crunch. These were so tasty, and definitely a fun addition to our meal! The chocolate crunch flavor tasted like cocoa pebbles- it was surprisingly delicious! It was definitely the favorite of the bunch!
And of course, we can’t have a fun meal about a circus without animal crackers! I had two bowls- the good ol’ classic animal crackers, and a bowl of Mother’s sprinkle animal cookies. I pulled out all the pink ones and just served those, so we had our own little “pink elephants on parade”.
I toyed with the idea of serving sparkling cider in honor of Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse’s encounter with spirits (hence, the pink elephants on parade), but I figured we had enough junk food going on for the evening ;).
This was definitely not the healthiest meal, but it was really fun! And the perfect beginning to our Dumbo night.
I’ve included the recipe for the soft pretzels below. What’s your favorite kind of soft pretzel? Any particular dips you like to serve it with? I’d love to hear about your creations below!
Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels
How to make easy homemade soft pretzels in less than 45 minutes. Don't forget the easy spicy cheese sauce! Author: Author: Sally
Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield: Yield: 12 pretzels
Serving size: 12
Calories per serving: 12
Ingredients:
Cook time:
Yield: Yield: 12 pretzels
Serving size: 12
Calories per serving: 12
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm– no need to take temperature)
1 packet active dry or instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
3 and 3/4-4 cups (460-500g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for work surface
coarse sea salt for sprinkling
1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
9 cups (2,160ml) water
Directions:
Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/3 cup sections.
Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape.
(This step is optional, but promises a chewier pretzel and helps provide that traditional soft pretzel taste. See recipe note.) Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking in step 7.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce. Pretzels may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 3 days (they lose a little softness).
Source: ssallysbakingaddiction.com
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/3 cup sections.
Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape.
(This step is optional, but promises a chewier pretzel and helps provide that traditional soft pretzel taste. See recipe note.) Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking in step 7.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce. Pretzels may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 3 days (they lose a little softness).
Source: ssallysbakingaddiction.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Source:
- https://pixy.org/4214028/
- https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/easy-homemade-soft-pretzels/
Camille Hoffmann
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! camille@dvo.com
