Healthy Whole Grain Peanut Butter Protein Soft Pretzels

As a self proclaimed and obvious foodie, it's normal to expect a gift from me in the form of food.  For Mother's Day, it was no different; I cooked something for my awesome mom.

I always want to find something I know she will love because she means a lot to me and I love her dearly.  She has raised me by herself and I will forever owe her my respect.

My love for pretzels came from her love for pretzels, I'm sure of it, and I wanted to make some homemade soft pretzels for her Mother's Day gift this year.  I already made tasty chocolate no-bake protein cookie balls with this recipe for her, but felt like she deserved something more.

I was inspired to do something with a couple yeast packets that were lying around, and after seeing homemade pretzels on Pinterest a few days ago, I knew what to try and make.  These were perfect to bring over when Kelley I visited her this weekend and she was pleasantly surprised/happy to receive.

Soft pretzels are a comfort food for me, but it's difficult to find ones that are healthy enough to eat.  Use this recipe to create sweet, savory, or spicy soft pretzels that are high in protein and whole grain and low in fat and sugar.

Whole Grain Peanut Butter Protein Soft Pretzels

by RC Liley




6024533



Ingredients (12 large soft pretzel)

2 C warm water
2 C whole grain spelt flour; another flour can be used, but I can’t speak to how it will turn out
1 C peanut flour
1C vanilla or unflavored protein powder (I used stevia sweetened vanilla egg white protein)
2 tbsp corn meal (for rolling dough; you can use more spelt or whatever flour you have too)
1 tbsp (1 1/2 packets) active dry yeast
2 tbsp honey or agave nectar
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C baking soda
coarse salt for sprinkling; you can omit if watching salt intake
Optional: Add a stevia packet for a sweet pretzel, 1 T cumin and garlic for something savory, or 1/2 t cayenne for spicy pretzels




Instructions

In a bowl mix yeast with 1/4 C warm water and let sit 10 minutes until it starts to foam (the yeast is alive!).  Once it’s foamy (will be a distinct yeast smell), add the rest of the warm water, spelt and peanut flour, the protein powder, and honey or agave.

Mix dough into a round ball (it will be sticky; wet your hands a little to make mixing easier), cover with a towel and set aside in a warm place for 40-60 minutes. The dough will rise to at least double in size while sitting.  After sitting, knead dough adding 1 tbsp of corn meal or flour at a time until its not too sticky and dough pulls away from the bowl.  Form into a ball again, cover, and set aside for another hour to rise.

Align an upper and lower rack and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Knead the dough another 5 minutes to work out the air and divide into 4. Divide each piece again into 3 and roll each third to about 24″ long and twist into pretzel shape (or roll into balls/sticks for another, easier way to enjoy). With 2 parchment lined baking sheets, lay each pretzel down until all are shaped as desired.

Bring a medium or large pot of water to a boil and dissolve the baking soda. Drop pretzels into the water two at a time, cook for a minute, remove with a slotted spoon and place on your baking sheet. Repeat process for all pretzels and sprinkle with coarse salt (if desired) before they dry.

Place one sheet on the top rack and the other on the bottom of the oven and bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown; switch sheets half way through for even browning.  Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.


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The process might seem daunting, but it's actually fun going through the steps and making different pretzel shapes.  I like dipping pretzel in mustard or a peanut butter and yogurt dip, so the sticks worked better for me; plus they're easier.

My failed attempt at a heart for mom....

Mother's Day has passed, but at least my mom still has these tasty and super healthy pretzels to eat at home and work...hopefully thinking about how wonderful her oldest son is!!

Q: What do you like to put on your pretzels?  Something savory like mustard, or a sweet like peanut butter and honey?

I like both, so I eat them both ways; it's a win-win!

Pretzels - Tasty Snack Food With a Twisted History

Crunchy or fresh-baked and soft, dipped in peanut butter, mustard, chocolate, or yogurt, pretzels are a versatile food enjoyed by many around the globe.  Soft pretzels are made to be consumed the same day and can be sweet with added cinnamon and sugar or savory with garlic, cumin, and other spices. 

Although big companies like Rold Gold butchered the pretzel and added a slew of uncommon ingredients like enriched flour and corn syrup, other companies do it justice with only what's needed.

Wikipedia explains the two main types of pretzel production in this link:

"....is made from wheat flour, water and yeast, glazed with egg wash, usually sprinkled with coarse salt, hand-sized and made for consumption on the same day. It is relatively soft, rather than brittle. To avoid confusion with any other kind of pretzel, German speakers call this variety "Laugenbrezel" (lye pretzel) because it is boiled in lye solution (NaOH) before baking. Sweet pastry pretzels with many different textures, toppings and coatings, are made. Crisp hard pretzels, e.g. pretzel sticks and a variety of shapes basically made from the same ingredients, have evolved from the lye pretzel by baking out excess moisture, thereby increasing shelf life and crispness."

The site explains a lot on the history and unknown origin of the preztel, but I will not yap on about that here.  I have found that the hard and crunchy or warm and soft pretzels are both welcome on my plate.  The soft versions are better for something savory like some good old-fashioned yellow mustard.  Add to that some slices of quality cheese and a tasty brew, and I'm one happy camper.

As for the crunchy guys; I like them with mustard, mixed with chocolate, dipped in cottage cheese or peanut butter, mixed with a carrot, or just by themselves.  Whatever form you enjoy, the average pretzel will have no fat and contain minimal ingredients; these are a much better alternative to potato chips.

On top of their simplistic ingredients, pretzel do offer some benefits like B vitamins (folate, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and B6) and minerals (manganese, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and selenium).  Do like me and seek out the whole grain variety for extra nutrition and stray away from anything enriched.

Here's a list of  my go-to pretzel companies that I can trust:

Unique Pretzel Bakery - I have my Mom's Pennsylvaia Dutch to thank for this being my number one favorite.  Their availability is limited here in Texas, but I have found stores that carry them for a price.  The best ones are their Sprouted Grain "Splits" that I feel are even better than just whole grain.  Either way, these are mine and my Mom's top pick.  Don't question the Dutch!

Snyder's of Hanover - Yes, they are a big company, but I feel they do the pretzel right, can't speak for some of their other products though.  I prefer the Organic Whole Wheat and Oat Sticks when choosing from their selection.  An added plus is the bag is made from post consumer materials.......which makes it very loud so no use being sneaky!  I do have a weakness for the honey mustard flavored nuggets, but only on very rare occasions....mmmmm.
 

 
Utz - You see a trend?  All of these companies are based in Pennsylvania; both Snyder's and Utz are in Hanover.  Like I said, don't question the Dutch, they must know something about making a pretzel.  They also make potato chips, but don't waste your time, pretzels are the way to go; my favorite is the Multigrain Specials.
 

Hopefully you can find one of these brands in your local store, but if not, their sites allow you to purchase online.  Isn't the internet amazing!
 
Here are ten ways to eat a pretzel that I found on this link:
 

 
Check out this link for recipes like macaroni and cheese with a pretzel crust or chicken with a honey mustard pretzel crust.
 
How do you like to enjoy your pretzel?  Post to comments to let us all know, maybe it's something I'd like to try!

Pretzel