Twist and Shout: Pretzels and Dips for Super Bowl Sunday
When I think of soft pretzels, I envision days past when my young kids would ask for a cinnamon sugar pretzel at the mall, which always turned into a disaster as I frantically searched for enough napkins, wetting them with water from my water bottle to clean the cinnamon sugar mixture that went from ear-to-ear on their little faces all while instructing them to “not touch anything.” If it was just me at the mall, I would opt for grabbing a pepperoni pretzel because shopping took precedent over taking time to sit down and eat. We visited Wetzel’s Pretzels when we lived in Arizona and later Auntie Anne’s, but our pretzel days disappeared as the kids got older. On a business trip to Nuremberg, Germany a few years ago, everywhere I looked there were warm authentic pretzels calling my name. Then the other day my sister sent me a picture of the pretzels her 14-year-old son begged her to make. I decided to give it a whirl and determined that these easy-to-make pretzels would be a fun game day snack (or what the heck, dinner) for Super Bowl Sunday.
Leaning Tower of Pretzels.
Mix, Rise, Roll, Twist, Boil, Bake and Eat
I used the same recipe my sister used – Joanna Gaines’ Pretzels recipe from Magnolia Table, Volume 2, and laughing to myself, I dubbed them “Auntie Angie’s” soft pretzels. I decided to keep some plain and others were going to get the full pepperoni treatment. Mixing up the dough in my stand mixer made this pretty simple. My dough rose nicely in less than an hour and then it was time to divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a rope about two-feet long. Seriously, this was the hardest part – the rolling and rolling and rolling. I found it worked best (for fatigue) to alternate between rolling them against the granite counter and between the palms of my hands. Wished I had an enthusiastic 14-year-old at my side.
Next was the crucial “boiling” step. Boil four cups of water and add 1/3 cup baking soda. Dip each pretzel into the liquid for about 15 seconds and place on your baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I used a large flat slotted spoon for this. It’s important not to skip this step because it’s what gives the pretzels their smooth appearance. What actually happens is that the hot water gelatinizes the surface starch and creates a tough, chewy crust in all its beautiful shiny goldenness – just what you want your pretzels to be – with a tender inside.
At this point, I chopped up pepperoni and pressed it into the tops of some of the pretzels, sprinkled on dried oregano and basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese. All the pretzels, pepperoni and plain, got a liberal sprinkling of big beautiful flaky salt. Then just pop them in the oven for eight minutes. After they come out, brush them with unsalted butter (much better than the dunking in a tub of butter witnessed at the mall) and they’re ready to eat.
You can almost taste the flakes of salt and freshly grated parmesan.
Dip Dip Hooray!
I’d been wanting an excuse to make Grossy’s Marinara Sauce and this was it! You can’t have pepperoni pretzels without marinara. I made a big batch of sauce and froze the rest. Dan Grossy’s recipe includes a whole head of garlic and red pepper flakes, plus sugar for a little sweetness (and to offset the tomatoes). I think if I had fresh tomatoes, I may not have needed the sugar. I just kept tasting and adjusting the sugar and salt until it was perfect.
This delicious marinara includes an entire head of garlic, but don’t worry. Once it’s cooked the intensity of the garlic flavor lessens.
The plain pretzels were not to be left out. These guys got a slightly spicy queso dip based on this recipe from A Spicy Perspective. First I sautéed the shallot, garlic and one jalapeno in ghee. I added one chipotle chili in adobo sauce for just a touch of smoke and a squirt of spicy brown mustard. I used half & half and for the 12 ounces of cheese I chose 8 ounces of Beecher’s Flagship white cheddar and 2 ounces each of Tillamook Cheddar and Monterey Jack.
This small football-shaped crockpot (shoved into the depths of my pantry and on the list to give-away for some time) was perfect for keeping the queso dip warm.
Both pretzel varieties were definitely something to shout about. Only wish I’d have had more mouths in the house to eat warm pretzels as these twisted goods are definitely best right when you make them. However, you can warm them up later by spritzing with water, wrapping in foil and baking at 325 degrees for 15-17 minutes.
Beyond game day, the pepperoni pretzels with marinara would be a fun family activity for Valentine’s Day. According to The Pretzel: A Twisted History on History.com, “By the 17th century, the interlocking loops of the pretzel had come to symbolize undying love as well. Pretzel legend has it that in 1614 in Switzerland, royal couples used a pretzel in their wedding ceremonies (similar to how a wishbone might be used today) to seal the bond of matrimony, and that this custom may have been the origin of the phrase “tying the knot.”
Who knew.
The twisted truth
Lastly, time to come clean with the truth. As I was writing this, I realized that I didn’t twist the pretzels properly! Wahh. I’m so bummed. (Secret: they tasted just as good.) But so you don’t make the same pretzel gaffe, here’s a tutorial with photos on how to properly twist. Sigh. I guess I’ll have to make another batch of pretzels and practice my twisting.
My sister’s pretzels, which are (unlike mine) twisted properly. Rolling and forming does take a little practice. I suggest rolling the ropes of dough to about 3/4” inch diameter so when they puff up the integrity of the twist is maintained.