Postcall Pretzels

When you’re post-call, or jetlagged, or just really sleep- deprived, food just seems to be the only answer. Tucking into a warm bowl of soup or a crusty loaf of bread does wonders for weary limbs and overtired minds. Or maybe it’s just me. But whenever I find myself with a wide open day after being up all night, all I want to do is cook and bake. It probably helps that I spend most of the night (after saving all the patients of course) browsing recipes on Pinterest and getting hungry.

Which is how I found myself, after a week of night float in the PICU and too wired to nap, tackling these pretzel rolls. You may have noticed that the pretzel is making a huge comeback. It’s the hipster baked good of the moment. I mean, the Grange’s brunch menu has a pretzel bread french toast option (which is amazing, by the way). It was only matter of time before I, helpless in the face of overwhelming trends, attempted my own pretzel bread.


After carefully scrutinizing the recipes (read: yummy photos) on Pinterest and cutting out any with too many fancy ingredients or too long a wait (Let rise for another hour?! But what will I eat??) I chose this one. It’s simple, quick, and as delicious as the photos promised. The trickiest part is probably taking the time to roll them into smooth balls instead of dunking chunks haphazardly into boiling water, which I learned after producing a few lumpy (but still delicious) specimens:

Pretzel Bread

2 Tbsp. butter

1 c. milk (I used skim, whatever you have probably works)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 packet (7g) yeast

3 cups white flour

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

large-grain salt for decorating

1. Heat milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat, to 100 degrees. This is important, as temperatures over 140º can kill live yeast. And then you’d have matzoh.

2. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl, and add brown sugar and yeast. I used a candy thermometer to avoid casualties, but any thermometer probably works. Or just heat the milk to warm, not hot.

3. Using your dough hook, start the mixer. (For those without, I’ve heard spoons and hands are pretty good at making bread too. And according to some old-fashioned types, much more satisfying.) Slowly add flour  and salt (mixed with in measuring cup beforehand). Beat until dough is smooth. If it’s super sticky, toss in a handful of flour until it’s manageable (you should be able to pick it up and scrape it off your fingers without too much effort).

4. Transfer mixture to an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Half-fill a large pot with water (I used the one below), add baking soda and bring to a boil. It’s important to add the baking soda BEFORE you boil. Otherwise Chemistry ensues. And nobody likes chemistry.





6. Form dough into balls, sized to your liking. I made a few dinner (burger)-sized rolls, and a bunch of bite-sized ones. As I mentioned earlier, make sure to roll balls until each is smooth and uniform.

7. Drop balls into boiling water, let cook for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to oiled cookie sheet (I used cooking spray on an old beat-up one since I couldn’t bear to tarnish my new shiny ones with baked-on oil).

8. Brush each roll with 1 egg beaten with a few splashes of water. Sprinkle with the largest-grain salt you have. I didn’t have the presence of mind to shop for big salt beforehand, by my kosher salt worked out ok.

9. Bake for 15 minutes at 400º, then turn oven to 350º and bake until browned to your liking.

10. Let cool. Or just eat them all standing up.