Tender Pretzel Recipe from Grant Achatz

These comfortable pretzel sticks come from chef Grant Achatz, who is understood for his boundary-pushing approach. However Achatz additionally loves tweaking basic consolation meals to be the very best variations of themselves. The yeasted dough is each boiled after which baked, turning into tender and fluffy with the basic chewy exterior speckled with flaky salt. “I’ve at all times been a fan of any meals excessive in salt and starch,” Achatz says, “and comfortable pretzels proper out of the oven are superior.”

The important thing to the right pretzel texture

Pretzels get their attribute chew from a fast boil in an alkaline (low pH) answer earlier than baking, which creates a chemical change that improves browning and makes for a shiny, toothsome “pores and skin” on the floor. German pretzels have been initially boiled in an alkaline answer of lye and water; food-grade lye is broadly accessible, although it may be harmful if not dealt with accurately. This recipe mimics the approach by blanching the pretzels in water with baking soda as a substitute.

Notes from the Meals & Wine Check Kitchen

You may eat these barely candy pretzel sticks plain, with mustard, or — as Achatz prefers — with ranch dressing.