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Vegan Soft Pretzels, vegan recipe

Vegan Soft Pretzels

Soft, chewy vegan pretzels made from a simple yeasted dough, boiled in a strong baking soda bath and brushed with a sweetened oat milk wash for a deep golden crust, no dairy or eggs.
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 8 pretzels
Course: Snack
Cuisine: German
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pretzel dough
  • 1 cup warm water about 105 to 110F, warm but not hot
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup plus 1 teaspoon for the wash
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast one 1/4-ounce packet
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting; bread flour works too
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or any neutral oil
Baking soda bath
  • 8 cups water
  • 1/3 cup baking soda not baking powder
Wash and topping
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened oat milk or another plain plant milk
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Method
 

  1. Warm the water to about 105 to 110F, warm enough to feel clearly on your finger but not hot enough to sting. Pour it into a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup and the yeast. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the surface is covered in a creamy foam. If nothing happens, the yeast is dead and you need a fresh packet.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Pour in the yeast mixture and the oil, then mix with a spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and only a little tacky. If it sticks badly, work in more flour a tablespoon at a time; if it feels stiff and dry, wet your hands with a little water and keep kneading.
  3. Shape the dough into a ball, put it back in the bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm spot for 45 to 60 minutes, until it has roughly doubled in size.
  4. While the dough rises, heat the oven to 450F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Bring the 8 cups of water to a rolling boil in a wide pot, then stir in the baking soda. It will foam up hard, so add it slowly and keep the pot from boiling over.
  5. Punch the dough down and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 20 to 24 inches long, then shape it into a pretzel: make a U, cross the ends over each other twice, and press them onto the bottom of the U. Set the shaped pretzels on the parchment-lined sheets as you work.
  6. Working with one or two pretzels at a time, lower them into the boiling bath and cook for 30 seconds, then flip and cook for 30 seconds more. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, let the excess water drip off, and return them to the baking sheet.
  7. Stir the oat milk and the remaining 1 teaspoon of maple syrup together and brush the mixture over the top and sides of each pretzel, then sprinkle with the coarse salt.
  8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pretzels are a deep golden brown and firm to the touch. Let them cool on a rack for a few minutes before eating, since the steam inside is very hot.

Notes

Baking soda is much weaker than the lye used for traditional pretzels, which is why the bath here uses a generous amount. That alkaline water is what turns the crust dark and chewy, so do not skip it or cut the boil short. Bread flour makes a slightly chewier pretzel and all-purpose a softer one, and both work. Judge the dough by feel rather than by the clock: it should be soft and only just tacky, never sticky. Shape each pretzel directly on the parchment, because lifting one after it is formed can stretch it out of shape. The wash is best brushed on right after the boil, while the surface is still damp.