Garlic Butter Pretzel Twists
Looking for a tasty snack? How about a batch of these Garlic Butter Pretzel Twists?
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You guys know after last week that one of my favorite winter activities is curling, right? I enjoy skiing, but we don’t own all of the necessary equipment. And I enjoy a good snowball fight in the front yard, but it can get downright cold out there. My wife and I wandered into our local curling club a couple of years ago, and we were immediately hooked! Sure, it’s cold out there when you’re playing, but all of the activity keeps you 
One of the most unique aspects of curling is the camaraderie among players. Sure, you’ve got the connection to the three other guys on your team. But curling tradition calls for you to hang out with the other team (usually for a drink) after the game. So you end up with 8 guys (or gals) around a table chatting about the game and how well the winning team played. What other sport does that? Teams in other sports retire to their respective locker rooms. Not so with curling. You congratulate the other team on a game well played, and then you join them for a drink…fortunately, the drink is in the warm room and not on the ice!
So I found myself sitting around the table a couple of weeks back chatting with a bunch of guys. Our games usually start at 6:20pm, so most of us just eat a light snack instead of a heavy dinner. 2 hours of active curling later, and you’ve got 8 very hungry guys. I decided to fix that problem, and I brought a batch of these Garlic Butter Pretzel Twists with me to the club. After our game, I popped those bad boys in the oven for a couple of minutes. These pretzel twists were gone in no time flat! (But I might have created a monster as I now have guys asking me before the game if there are any pretzel twists for later…)
Soft pretzels alone are pretty darned tasty, but I upped my game a bit and brushed these with garlic butter after baking. Woah. These Garlic Butter Pretzel Twists are perfect after a game of curling, but I dare say they’d also be delicious gametime snacks for some of these NCAA tournament games! Enjoy!
Garlic: love it or hate it?
Garlic Butter Pretzel Twists
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ Tbsp brown sugar
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp warm water
For the Soaker
- 2 cups boiling water
- ¼ cup baking soda
For the Pretzels
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Using a countertop mixer, combine all of the dough ingredients (flour, salt, brown sugar, yeast, and warm water). Mix on medium speed for 6 minutes.
- Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Cover and place in a warm (85°F) location for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the soaker by combining the boiling water with the baking soda. Mix until baking soda is fully dissolved, and set aside to cool.
- Once risen, roll dough into a large rectangle (~12”x15”).
- Using a pizza wheel, cut dough in half length-wise. (This will create (2) 6”x15” pieces of dough.) Next, cut each piece of dough into 15 equally-sized strips. (This will create (15) 6”x1” pieces of dough from each piece for a total of 30 pieces of dough.)
- Roll each strip of dough into an 8”-9” rope. Working with 3 pieces of dough at a time, bread dough together; pinch ends of braids together to seal.
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Pour Soaker mixture into a shallow dish. Place each braid in the Soaker mixture for 2 minutes (spoon water over the top of the braids if they are not fully covered). Transfer the braids to the baking sheets; let braids rest for 10 minutes uncovered. (Tip: Spray the baking sheet generously with non-stick spray first. This will help keep the pretzels from sticking.)
- Bake at 475°F for 8-9 minutes, or until pretzels are golden brown in color.
- While pretzels are baking, melt the butter and stir in the minced garlic and kosher salt.
- Remove knots from oven and brush with the garlic butter mixture. Serve hot.
Oh what are you doing to me? This is like garlic bread, but a billion times better. I have had such a garlic bread craving recently too.
Hahaha…sorry, Dannii! Sometimes we just need to break down and have garlic bread…or pretzels…or garlic butter pretzels. 🙂
I could eat the whole batch all by myself. I love the shape and the garlic butter added on top!
Hmmm…I’m fairly certain I would have eaten the whole batch by myself if I hadn’t had the guys at the curling club to help. They’re kinda like Mikey from that old commercial. If you ever have anything in the kitchen that you want to get rid of (i.e. not eat it all yourself)…just take it to those guys! 🙂
I came for the garlic pretzels, but now I’m curious about curling. From what I’ve learned, I can have both! TEAM GARLIC! Enjoy your weekend!
Yes, you can indeed have both, Tonya! I just spied on you, and I see you are in Maryland. I know there is a Potomac Curling Club, and there might be more in the state or southern PA. Check it out for sure…it’s a fun sport that you can pick up at any age. Plus, it’s kinda cool to say that you curl! 🙂 But before you do that, make yourself a nice big batch of garlic pretzels! Hope you had an awesome weekend!
My guess would be that now the guys are going to expect these garlic butter pretzel twists EVERY time! They are so darn pretty! I wouldn´t mind dipping them in some melted dark chocolate (minus the garlic).. lol.. is that bad!?
They totally do expect these garlic butter pretzel twists every time now, Johlene! I seriously have guys asking me before every game if I brought more pretzels. haha! Hmmm…buttery pretzels dipped in chocolate? I hadn’t thought of that one before, but you might be onto something here. I’ll be back…haha!
Hi David! I love all things pretzel. Gary, however, does not so that means I get them all!! You do know that your curling companions are now going to expect you to bring munchies! Have a great weekend!
Woohoo! Sometimes it’s a good thing when your significant other doesn’t like the same kinds of foods as you. Laura reminds me of that whenever she gets takeout Indian food…although I’m starting to come around (slowly) on Indian flavors. Hope you and Gary had an awesome weekend full of warm sunshine (and hopefully no rain)!
David!! I am so craving these pretzels now! it’s all your fault! sniff sniff! They look amazing!
Haha! Sorry, Gaila. These pretzels were quite amazing…but they’re all gone now. Guess that means it’s time for another batch, huh? 🙂
I’d happily eat a few of these bad boys and YES to the garlic butter on top. You’ve opened a new world to me in curling – it’s like shuffleboard on ice! Never heard of it before until last year when you mentioned it. Sounds like the team will be expecting treats like this moving forward. 🙂 #WolfpackCurler
I’m glad I’ve introduced you to a new sport, Kevin. And I’m about to blow your mind again. I just googled it, and San Diego has a curling club! Curl San Diego. It’s a great sport, and you can pick it up at any age. Seriously go look and see if they have any open houses coming up. If nothing else, you can at least say you tried it! 🙂 But make sure you pack some garlic butter pretzels in your pocket when you go…because you might get hungry and all. Haha!
Okay, I LOVE garlic! And I am sure I would love these pretzel twists too!
Also, I have never tried curling, but my brother has been curling for a couple of years and he loves it! For me, my favorite winter activity is tobogganing. Because you don’t need to go far to have a great time 🙂
Hey! Another curler! Well, sorta…I count your brother as close enough. You should totally get him to take you out curling sometime. And tobogganing reminds me of being a kid and sliding down the hill near our house at breakneck speed. Probably unsafe as heck, but I remember it being fun! 🙂
We just love garlic .like this recipe … Good one .. Perfect tea time snack
I love garlic, too, Priya! I’d be embarrassed to admit how much garlic I buy at the store each week. But when it shows up on things like garlic butter pretzels, that makes it ok, right? 🙂
These look so delish! I really curb my bread eating because it fills me up so fast that I don’t want anything else. I’d sacrifice for some of these!
Yeah, I hear ya on the bread + filling up quickly, Shelby. But I love bread too much for that! It’s ok to just eat a meal of bread and olive oil, right? (I might have done that before…) Pretzels are totally an acceptable way to break the rules, too. Just for the record! 🙂
I love fresh, hot pretzels. I’m sure I could eat an entire batch! And I do love garlic.
I wouldn’t stop you from eating the entire batch, Jeff. Because I’m a good friend like that.
David, when I saw the pictures first, I though for a second that you rolled asparagus in dought and baked. I even though, “Crazy David! Who would make these asparagus bread sticks”? Glad that apparently you weren’t that crazy and ended up making pretzel breads:) Delicious! P.S. Do you send food presents to the official fans of your curling team? I’m considering becoming one of them:)
Wait! You are totally onto something there, Ben. Asparagus rolled in dough and then baked? Uhhh…sounds amazing! And I just so happen to have some asparagus in the fridge right now. The wheels in my brain are turning. (Slowly and with much creaking…but they are turning!) I do indeed send presents to members of my curling team’s fan club. Just send your registration fee in, and you get presents in return. 🙂
I can finish off this one in no time. I just love garlic and this looks so beautiful and delicious. WOW!
Thank you so much, Kushi! There is just something about garlic + butter, right? 🙂
Wow! I wish we had a local curling club in Northern California, it sounds like a good way to meet people. These Garlic Butter Pretzel twists made my mouth water 🙂
So I just googled it, and there are curling clubs in San Francisco and Sacramento, Mary. Are those close to you? If so, you totally should see if they have an open house before the season ends (most curling clubs wrap up near end of March.) It’s a crazy sport, but it’s totally fun! We’ve met some of our best friends in this area through our curling club. Also, bringing Garlic Butter Pretzels Twists to the club is a good way to make friends. I speak from experience. 🙂
I love homemade pretzels!! You made them even more amazing with the garlic butter. Sounds yummy!
Garlic butter makes everything better, Dawn! 🙂
Duuuude – these should have been named CRACK pretzels! Loving that brushed on garlic butter! Hey – I’d sign up to be on any team if these pretzels are involved – I could be the water gal as I’m ice-challenged! – yeah?! 🙂
Hey now! I’m not advocating putting crack on your pretzels, Shashi. 🙂 Just kidding! But if you promise to come out and support our team, then I’ll let you in on the post-game pretzel snackage. Come on up!!