Pretzels are tasty treats that grace any occasion with a sweet and salty delight. If you’re looking to grace your table with something colorful and finger-suckin’ good, why don’t you make some pretzels? Let us know the complete recipe for Caramel Apple Pretzels.
Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk, (110ºF)
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups of diced apples
- 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading (see Cook’s Note)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted melted butter, at room temperature, and some more to grease the bowl
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- One ¼-ounce package of dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 3 quarts of warm water
- 1 large egg + water to wash the egg
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Recipe
- Pour the warmed milk into a large bowl. Then sprinkle the dry yeast onto the milk. Stir the mixture with a spatula or electric mixer until it has a foamy and soft consistency.
- Wait for the mixture to rise (5 minutes)
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla, softened butter, egg, brown sugar, and a cup of flour until the ingredients are absorbed by the mix.
- Add in the remaining 1 ¼ cups of flour, cinnamon, coarse sea salt, and chopped apple. This would form a sticky dough.
- Turn out the dough onto a surface that has been lightly sprinkled with flour. Knead the dough and add more flour (as needed) to make it of light and smooth consistency. This process takes a little more than 5 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball.
- Take out another bowl and line the sides with butter. This would make sure the dough does not stick to the bowl.
- Take the ball of dough and place it in the bowl. Cover it with a plastic wrap then place it in a warm place to make it rise. This process takes an hour to complete.
- While the dough is rising, set your oven’s heat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Use parchment paper to line a rimmed baking sheet.
- After one hour, uncover the dough and press your fist in to deflate it. If tight, leave for another 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour in light amounts on your surface.
- Divide the dough into 6 pieces (or 18 pieces for smaller pretzels) and roll each piece out into a 24” long rope. It’s normal for the chopped apples to fall out. Keep rolling the dough onto the chopped apples- they’ll stay in place.
- To produce a double twist in the middle, lift the ends of the “rope” to form a U shape.
- Cross one dough end over the other to create the double twist that is in the middle of the pretzel.
- Attach both ends of the U-Shaped dough to the bottom of the U.
- Repeat steps 13-15 for the remaining dough.
- Take out a shallow baking dish and pour in 3 quarts of warm water.
- Add the baking soda into the hot water. Use a stirrer to distribute the powder evenly to make a clear solution.
- Using a clean Spatula, lift one pretzel at a time and gently dip it into the solution. Let the excess water drip off.
- Carefully arrange the pretzels, one at a time, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Sprinkle each of the pretzels with some coarse sea salt.
- Bake the pretzels until they are puffed and turn a deep golden brown. This lasts for 15 minutes.
- Use an oven mitt to bring out the pan. Leave it on the kitchen counter to cool.
Caramel Topping
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Recipe
- Set a small saucepan over medium heat and leave for 1 minute.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar in the pan until you get a smooth mixture.
- Add the heavy cream and keep whisking, aiming for a smooth mix. Once you see this, transfer the pan’s contents into a medium-sized bowl
- Add in the vanilla, confectioners’ sugar, and salt to thicken the mixture. Keep on whisking until you observe a clear deep gold.
- Test the consistency of the caramel by dipping a clean spatula in and letting the mix drip. It should drip the way honey does.
- When you have achieved this, transfer the caramel into a Ziploc bag and snip the corner off. Dribble the caramel over the warm pretzels.
- Leave the caramel to set.
In conclusion, pretzels are a great choice for gatherings and even presents. As far as they leave a smile on whoever’s eating it, then that’s perfect.
Caramel Apple Pretzels – Complete Recipe Guide