recipe: caramelized onion pretzel rolls with caraway sea salt

this was part of our deliciouso Oktoberfest din. i always wanted to make pretzels or pretzel nuggets, but never did assuming they were really difficult or had this crazy trick that was some how impossible to master... turns out they are just a fun little bready science experiment that is pretty fun and damn delicious. the Cooking Channel TV recipe is what inspired me, because damn the name of them alone sounded so good. 

the onion taste wasn't very prevalent, just the slightest hint, but they came out better than i expected. would definitely make again, just using a larger pot to boil them in... i underestimated the power of baking soda reacting with boiling water :) now that the pretzel secret is out, it's all on.

ingredients list:

- 2 tbsp butter

- 2 sm yellow onions, cut into 1/4- inch dice (about 2 cups)

- 1 tsp kosher salt

- 1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

- 1 package active dry yeast

- 2 & 3/4 cups bread flour, + extra for dusting (i used all-purp flour and it worked just fine)

- 1 tsp granulated sugar

- 2 tsp vegetable oil, + extra for greasing

- 1/4 cup pretzel salt, or other coase salt (i used kosher)

- 1 tbsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed

to make: 

melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. add the onion and 1/2 tsp of the salt, and cook until softened and caramelized, about 20 minutes. transfer to a small bowl to cool.

pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer with a hook attachment, and sprinkle in the yeast. let it rest until it bubbles, about 10 min.

meanwhile, sift together the flour, sugar, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt into a large bowl, and stir to combine. add the flour mixture and caramelized onions into the mixer, and mix on the lowest speed until the dough comes together. increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is elastic and smooth, 6-8 minutes. 

grease a large mixing bowl with 1 tsp of the oil. form the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, gently turning until coated. cover with a clean, damp towel and let it rest until the dough rises to 1 & 1/2 times in size, about 30-40 minutes. meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly coat it with remaining oil, then set it aside. 

transfer the dough to a clean, lightly-floured surface. punch down the dough and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, 6-8 minutes. the dough should spring back when lightly touched. divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 oz each, and form into 4-inch long rolls with slightly rounded, tapered end. place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet, allowing enough room between each to double in size. cut three 1/4 inch deep diagonal slashes across the top of each, then cover with a damp towel and set in a warm place to rise until the rolls almost double in volume, 20-25 min.

place one rack on the very top shelf of the oven, and another on the bottom. preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. stir together the pretzel salt + caraway seeds in a small bowl and set aside. 

line 1 baking sheet with a dry towel and another baking sheet with greased parchment paper or a silicone mat. bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a deep straight-sided skillet (seriously --- make sure it's big enough before adding the backing soda, or it will fizzle all over your stove top). stir in the baking soda. boil 4 of the rolls, flipping in water, 1 minute, then transfer to the towel-lined baking sheet using a slotted spoon. repeat with the remaining rolls. let rolls try for 1 minute before transferring to the parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkling with the caraway salt. 

bake the rolls on the top shelf of the oven until deep golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes, then switch to the bottom shelf and continue baking until cooked through, 2 min longer. 

allow rolls to rest 10 min on the baking sheet. serve warm, or used them as rolls for your delectable pork snchnitzel leftovers.