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Who doesn’t like pretzels? Whether soft or crunchy, large or small, smothered in mustard or chocolate, pretzels are rich in history and important to cultures around the world.

According to legend, the pretzel was invented in the 7th century AD by an Italian monk. He created a small knot of bread in the shape of praying arms to reward children for learning their prayers. He called his creation “pretiola,” which means “little rewards.”

As pretzels spread throughout Europe they kept a religious connotation. Pretzels contain no eggs or dairy which, since these things were forbidden during Lent in the Middle Ages, made them a perfect food for the Holy season. In some countries, Germany for example, large pretzels were hidden along with dyed eggs on Easter for children to find.

Pretzels were extremely successful in Germanic cultures, becoming a staple of any complete meal. Germanic immigrants came to the United States and many of them settled in Pennslyvania. The Pennsylvania Dutch introduced the soft pretzel to the States and it became a popular street food in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York because it was cheap and perfectly portable. It was also in Pennsylvania where the first hard pretzel was baked. Usually smaller and in a variety of shapes, including rings, sticks, and rods, hard pretzels quickly became the most popular and highly consumed pretzel for the American palette.

Pretzels are nothing new to Garrett’s Table. We’ve made Mustard Stuffed Pretzel Nuggets (aka Gourmet Combos) and even Pretzel Shaped Mustard Chips. This time around we’re not making pretzels but rather using pretzels as an ingredient to make a fantastic dessert. What’s the other major ingredient? Think about what beverage pairs exceedingly well with pretzels and keep reading Garrett’s Table in the coming days to find out!

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Like any normal human being, I love junk food. One of my favorite junk foods growing up was mustard Combos. Unfortunately it seems they don’t sell those delicious treats anymore, despite the fact that mustard and pretzels is the most logical combo for pretzel junk food. This recipe started as an endeavor to make homemade gourmet Combos. I wanted to make hollow pretzel tubes, which proved to be difficult. In the end, I like the look and overall package of the nugget. The homemade mustard (recipe to come soon) is spicy but not overpowering and there’s nothing like a fresh hard pretzel. Here’s the recipe for about 40 pretzel nuggets:

Pretzel Dough:

• 400 g warm water
• 7 g active dry yeast (1 package)
• 15 g sugar
• 3 g salt
• 630 g flour

Mustard Filling:

• 300 g mustard
• 36 g softened butter
• 30 g AP flour

Other Ingredients:

• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• egg wash, as needed
• 1/4 cup salt

To make the dough, combine warm water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix well and allow to sit until foamy. Pour yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl and add flour, a bit at a time, to form a dough. Once the dough does not stick to the sides of the bowl, turn out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, adding flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Form the dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a dish towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, mix the mustard, butter, and flour to combine and hold in the refrigerator.

Heat oven to 450 F. divide the dough into quarters and roll, one quarter at a time, into a 1/6′’ sheet. Cut the dough sheet into 1.5′’ squares. Place 1/4 tsp. of the mustard filling in the center of one of the dough squares. Brig the corners to the center and pinch together to seal. Repeat with the rest of the dough squares.

Heat the water and baking soda in a deep sauté pan. Poach the pretzel nuggets for 30 seconds. The alkali water causes the dough to gel immediately on the outside of the pretzel, ensuring a rich brown, shiny, and crunchy crust. Remove from poaching liquid, arrange on a prepared baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle generously with salt. Bake for 10 minutes or until deep brown and crispy. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Photo by Justin Kern

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