Pretzel Breadsticks with Mustard Butter

Between Rugelach recipes, pretzel breadsticks with butter, and a few more sweet surprises for this week the "diet" has been thrown out the window. These however have been worth it. I don't mind a bit of extra work at the gym in order to recreate a delicious snack we had in Vegas as a family this past June.

Pretzel breadsticks. Soft pretzel breadsticks. Soft pretzel breadsticks just out of the oven with mustard butter. Oh me oh my that is basically carb heaven. I love a good soft pretzel, but what makes a good pretzel amazing is the ability to be warm, salty and have a great flavor to the dip or spread. While waiting for brunch in Vegas this past June we were excruciatingly hungry after waiting in line to eat. Nobody told us we would have to wait an hour plus anywhere we went for brunch, so long that we missed brunch by 10 minutes at the restaurant. {in my opinion it should have counted what time you got in line, not what time you were seated}. Our slightly frustrated hungry family sat down and were served some delicious pretzel breadsticks with mustard butter, that shut us up for a while. 

Compound butters aren't a new thing, but I had yet to see mustard butter. Now, don't get me wrong, plain old mustard, maybe a horseradish mustard is great with a pretzel, but the melty-ness of butter on fresh out of the oven dough makes you forget about dipping in cheese sauce or mustard immediately. The sweetness of the whole grain dijon mustard is a lovely combination and one your guests are certainly going to enjoy.

The complexity of this recipe (sourced from food + wine) is not too difficult, but there are a few things to keep in mind. One, kneading is involved. Two, you have to wait twice for the yeast to rise, this isn't an instant recipe. Three, there's an extra step in the baking soda hot bath you give these little guys before you place them in a very hot oven. Because of this, please read the recipe thoroughly before taking this one on. Worth every damn minute. Trust.

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Pretzel Breadsticks 

makes 24 - recipe from food + wine

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INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup light brown sugar

Water

2 envelopes active dry yeast

1/4 cup vegetable oil

5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

3/4 cup baking soda

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Flaky salt, such as Maldon

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar into 2 cups of warm water until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vegetable oil and 3 cups of the flour. Knead in the remaining 2 3/4 cups of flour; the dough will be slightly sticky.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until silky, about 3 minutes; if the dough is very sticky, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour. Transfer the dough to an large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough lightly, flatten it out and cut it into 24 pieces.

Roll each piece into a 9-inch stick about 1/2 inch thick. Transfer the sticks to the prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between them. Let stand uncovered until puffed, about 25 minutes.

In a large, deep skillet, stir the baking soda into 2 quarts of water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate. Using 2 slotted spoons, carefully transfer 6 pretzel sticks at a time to the simmering water 30 seconds, turning once; add about 1 cup of hot water after before cooking the second batch of pretzels. Transfer the pretzel sticks to paper towels to drain, then return them to the cookie sheets, spacing them evenly.

Brush the pretzel sticks with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake until richly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, with mustard butter recicpe below { from food and wine - link above }

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MUSTARD BUTTER

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INGREDIENTS

1 stick butter

1/4 cup whole grain dijon mustard

INSTRUCTIONS

With the butter at room temp, use a fork and combine the mustard and butter together until completely combined.

Store in an airtight container for later use. Freeze if you have leftover.