Mini Pretzel Slider buns dunked in boiling baking soda solution and baked for 10 minutes. Great with a burger, pulled pork, or as a roll on the side of dinner
Inspired by my trip to Munich, I went searching for a Pretzel Slider Buns recipe. After a few tries, I landed on this one below. The first time I had a pretzel bun was at Reuben’s Burger Bistro in Boulder, Colorado. It was great with a burger and alongside a nice cold beer. Since then I have seen them pop up in a few places including the local grocery store. So I wanted to give it a shot and find the right pretzel bun recipe to add to my cooking arsenal.
Notes on Pretzel Slider Buns:
I’d recommend doubling or tripling the batch. They are that good. Also, if you don’t finish them you can pop them in a large plastic bag in the freezer. Then if you’re ever in a bind about what to have for lunch or dinner you can warm them up and serve them with whatever you’re having.
They are great as burger slider buns, but also work very well with barbeque pulled pork, which we did when we made them for a housewarming party. Of course, you can always just have them on the side like a dinner roll or as dessert.
This variation with milk and butter rather than just water (as you may find in other recipes) makes a big difference in the outcome. These are much rounder, softer and less dense than those using just water.
Pretzel Slider Buns
Ingredients
Pretzel Slider Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 package yeast
- 2 tsps salt
- 2 ½ - 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Boiling Solution
- 12 cups water
- ¾ cup baking soda
Egg Wash
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
- Warm the milk and the butter in a bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds up to 1 minute. The butter will not have fully melted, but the milk should be warm, not hot, to the touch. If it’s too hot it will kill the yeast.
- Stir in the brown sugar so that it begins to dissolve. Add the yeast and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Add the salt and 2 ½ cups flour, and combine into a ball. If needed slowly add more flour until the dough becomes a soft ball (no more than 3 cups). Kneed on a lightly floured surface for about 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place in a large bowl and coat in a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the dough from drying out. Place a kitchen towel over the bowl and let rise for 1 ½ hours or until doubled.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Once the dough has risen, punch down and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball, with any seams facing downwards.
- Fill a large pot with 12 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the baking soda.
- Add each bun to the pot, about four at a time for 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon flip each bun over and let boil for another 30 seconds for 1 minute total. Remove to a drying rack.
- Brush each bun with the egg wash.
- With a sharp knife make a diagonal cut through the top of each ball of dough about ¼ inch deep. It is important to make a good slice through the top of each bun and ensure that the egg wash is not keeping the sliced sides stuck together. The slice in the bun enables the dough to rise upwards, rather than outwards giving you a nice round slider bun.
- Place half of the buns on one baking sheet, and half on a second baking sheet.
- Add one of the baking sheets to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes until the tops become a deep golden brown. Repeat with the second set of buns. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
* This recipe has been adapted from Pretzel Bread at allrecipes found here.
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