April is National Soft Pretzel Month, and we love a good soft pretzel recipe. Bake a batch of delicious soft pretzels and serve with grainy mustard and beer.

Bake a batch of delicious soft pretzels and serve with grainy mustard and beer.

Want to make smaller, appetizer-size pretzels? See our instructions for pretzel bites in “Variations” of the recipe, below.

Also below are more soft pretzel recipes, from chocolate-stuffed to cheese-coated.

> April 26th is National Pretzel Day.

> July is National Pretzel Month per some sources.*

> October is National Pretzel Month per some sources.*

> The history of pretzels.

> Want to make smaller, appetizer-size pretzels? See our instructions for pretzel bites in the “variations,” below.
 
 
RECIPE: BUTTER BRUSHED SOFT PRETZELS

This recipe is for the soft, chewy kind of pretzel that’s wonderful when warm, but almost as good at room temperature.

Prep time is 20-30 minutes. Bake time is 8-9 minutes. Thanks to King Arthur Flour for the recipe.
 
Ingredients For 8 Large Pretzels

For The Dough

 
For The Topping

 
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†Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is soft dough.
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Preparation

1. PLACE all of the dough ingredients into a bowl, and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it’s soft, smooth, and quite slack. Flour the dough and place it in a bag, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

> To make dough with a bread machine: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of the bread machine, program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Allow the dough to proceed through its kneading cycle (no need to let it rise), then cancel the machine, flour the dough, and give it a rest in a plastic bag, as instructed above.

> To make dough with a food processor: Place the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the work bowl of a food processor equipped with a steel blade. Process for 5 seconds. Add the water, and process for 7 to 10 seconds, until the dough starts to clear the sides of the bowl. Process a further 45 seconds. Place a handful of flour in a bowl, scoop the slack dough into the bowl, and shape the dough into a ball, coating it with the flour. Transfer the dough to a plastic bag, close the bag loosely, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting…

2. PREPARE the topping. Combine the boiling water and baking soda, stirring until the soda is totally (or almost totally) dissolved. Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm (or cooler).

3. PREHEAT the oven to 475°F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with vegetable oil spray, or lining it with parchment paper. If you’re not using King Arthur Flour, grease the parchment with vegetable oil spray to make double-sure the bites won’t stick.

4. TRANSFER the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2-1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

5. POUR the baking soda/water into a 9″ square pan. Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28″ to 30″ long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Working with 4 pretzels at a time, place them in the pan with the baking soda/water, spooning the water over their tops. Leave them in the water for 2 minutes before placing them on the baking sheet. This baking soda “bath” will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color.

6. TRANSFER the pretzels to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt, if desired. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

7. BAKE the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.

8. REMOVE the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up. It may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.
 
Variations

To make savory pretzel bites: Roll the six pieces of dough into 10″ ropes. Cut each rope crosswise into 6 to 10 equal pieces. Dip the pieces into the baking soda solution, place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and top with pretzel salt or sea salt. Bake in a 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and roll the bites in melted butter; about 6 tablespoons should do it.

To make sweet pretzel bites: Roll the six pieces of dough into 10″ ropes. Cut each rope crosswise into 6 to 10 equal pieces. Dip the pieces into the baking soda solution, place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and top with pearl sugar, if desired. Bake in a 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oven; if they haven’t been topped with pearl sugar, roll the bites in melted butter (about 6 tablespoons should do it). Then shake in a paper bag with 6 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar.
 
 
MORE SOFT PRETZEL RECIPES

 
 
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*National Day Calendar cites April as National Pretzel Month. National Today cites October as National Pretzel Month. It is not uncommon for the same holiday to appear on two or more dates. The reason can be that the U.S. Congress, different states, and different municipalities all can pass a declaration for a holiday. In these lawless Internet times, any person or company can declare a holiday on social media, without any formal body passing a resolution.

[1] Soft pretzels brushed with butter. The recipe is below (photos #1 and #6 © King Arthur Baking).

[2] Chocolate-stuffed soft pretzels. Here’s the recipe (photo © Beyond Good By Madecasse).

[3] Parmesan pretzels with a parmesan-beer dip. Here’s the recipe (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[4] Two Italian treats: prosciutto di Parma (a.k.a. Parma ham) with soft pretzels, the latter first created by monks in northern Italy (photo © Prosciutto di Parma | Facebook).

[5] You can top your soft pretzels with just about anything (photo © Sonia | Pexels).

[6] In addition to mustard, try other condiments, like dips and sour cream (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[7] Food fun? A soft pretzel serves as a very large crouton with a bowl of butternut squash soup (photo © Aleisha Kalina | Unsplash).

[1] The 9-piece Beer & Chocolate Pairing gift box. You supply the beer pairings (all photos © Dallmann Chocolate.

Caramel Sea Salt Chocolate[/caption]
[2] The Sea Salt Caramel with Fleur de Sel pairs with an IPA.

[3] The Caramel Latte truffle pairs with a stout.

[4] Pair the Bacon Applewood Smoked Salt chocolate truffle with a smoked beer.

What to have with your beer on National Beer Day, April 7th? Beyond the chips and pretzels, how about expanding your horizons to a beer and chocolate pairing?

Dallmann Fine Chocolates of San Marcos, California (near La Jolla and San Diego) has curated a box of chocolates meant to be paired with the suds from some of the area’s craft breweries.

While you may not have access to those specific beers, you can find similar ones wherever you are.

It’s a great gift for a beer lover…and Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are coming up.

> The different types of beer and the history of beer.

> The history of chocolate.

> The different types of chocolate and chocolate terminology: a glossary.

> More beer and chocolate pairings: Chocolate Stout Float & Chocolate Stout Ice Cream Recipes

 
 
9-PIECE BEER & CHOCOLATE PAIRING BOX (BYOB)

The chocolate flavors to pair with beer have been carefully chosen to enhance the experience.

The chocolates include:

 
Here are more beer and chocolate pairings from our own neck of the woods.
 
 
GET YOUR BEER & CHOCOLATE GIFT BOX

> Head to Dallman.
 
 

[5] Line ‘em up: Four beers with four different chocolates.

If you’d like to make some Easter candy, this Jellybean Chocolate Bark recipe is very versatile. You can make it with any chocolate—dark, milk, ruby, or white.

You can add jelly beans for Easter, and customize the bark for any holiday or special occasion: candy corn for Halloween (photo #2), Red Hots for July 4th, crushed candy canes for Christmas, etc.

You can mix food color into white chocolate to create different hues or use colored confectionary coating, and can top the bark with:

 
You can also mix 1 teaspoon of extract into the melted chocolate: almond, mint, vanilla—wherever your creativity leads you.
 
 
> Chocolate bark history.

> Jelly bean history.

> Chocolate history.

> Candy history.
 
 
ABOUT THE RECIPE & CONFECTIONERY COATING

This recipe, from Taste Of Home, was made with confectionery coating instead of real chocolate. The best-known consumer brand is Candy Melts.

Confectionery coating is imitation chocolate, made with fractionated palm kernel oil and hydrogenated palm oil instead of cocoa butter. The “chocolate” versions use imitation flavors, not real cocoa.

It looks like real chocolate, but we belong to the group that can really taste the difference between confectionery coating and chocolate.

Confectionery coating (photo #3) has many fans. It is less expensive and easier to melt, and Candy Melts comes in 15 colors.

Here’s a taste test” If you don’t like inexpensive white chocolate, your candy may have been made with confectionery coating instead of the real thing.

Here’s more about confectionary coating.

If a recipe calls for the Candy Melts brand or the generic confectionery coating, you can substitute real chocolate in equal amounts*.

The choice is yours.
 
 
RECIPE: JELLYBEAN CHOCOLATE BARK
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation
 
1. LINE a 15x10x1-inch pan with foil and grease foil with butter.

2. MELT the chocolate or candy coating in a microwave, melt; stir until smooth. Spread it into the prepared pan. Top with jelly beans, pressing to adhere. Let stand until set.

3. CUT or break the bark into pieces. Store it in an airtight container.

You can also add a teaspoon of coconut oil, vegetable oil, corn syrup, or shortening to your melted chocolate to get the texture closer to candy melts.

[1] Easter chocolate bark (photos #1 and #2 © Taste Of Home).

[2] Vary the toppings for other occasions, like this Halloween bark.

[3] Confectionery is typically sold in disks, for easy melting. These are from Merckens, a company that sells larger quantities (photo © Merckens Chocolate Melts).

[1] Make some PB&J popcorn for National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day (photo © The Popcorn Board).

[2] How a PB&J smoothie on the side? Here’s the recipe (photo © Tru Roots Company).

April 2nd is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day, the joining of two delicious foods into one magnificent concept: the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

But the combo has been ported to confections, desserts, and snacks.

To celebrate, we have a recipe for a fun snack. How about Peanut Butter & Jelly Popcorn?

Thanks to The Popcorn Board for this recipe.
 
 
< There are more peanut butter and jelly recipes below.

> The history of PB&J.

> The history of peanut butter.

> The history of jelly.
 
 
RECIPE: PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY POPCORN

Peanut butter and jelly is a classic pairing that never goes out of style.

Here’s a fun recipe for both kids and adults alike.

You can store the PB&J popcorn in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
 
Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

1. STIR together in a large bowl the popcorn and jam until evenly coated. Transfer to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet.

2. SET a small heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of barely simmering water (or use a double boiler). Add the white chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and melted.

3. POUR the peanut butter mixture over the popcorn mixture. Sprinkle with the strawberries and cranberries and toss.

4. REFRIGERATE for 10 minutes or until the peanut butter mixture is set. Break into pieces to serve.

Crunchy Variation: You can use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth, or sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped peanuts in Step 3.
 
 
MORE PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY RECIPES

We love healthy snacks, and here’s one we make with Once Again’s Organic Sesame Tahini With Lemon: a dip with crudités (photos #1 and #2).

Versatile, mildly nutty tahini delivers 6g of plant protein and 5g of fiber per serving, with no added sugar, salt, oil, or preservatives.

You can make the recipe with regular tahini, but lemon adds a nice zing.

Tahini is one of the principal ingredients in hummus, along with chickpeas. But this dip recipe is not hummus; it’s chickpea-free. Greek yogurt replaces the chickpeas.

In addition to enjoying it as a dip, you can thin the recipe below for a:

 
Once Again’s new lemon flavor is made with organic, dry roasted sesame seeds, plus organic lemon juice for a pop of bright flavor.

Once Again is also acclaimed for its nut butters—take a look.

Once Again products are certified organic, gluten-free, kosher, Non-GMO Project Verified, peanut free, and vegan. The brand’s has a Honest in Trade sustainability program.

There are two more tahini dip recipes below: one with red pepper and one with green herbs.
 
 
> Uses for tahini beyond hummus.

> The history of tahini.
 
 
RECIPE: LEMON TAHINI DIP
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND all ingredients thoroughly. Garnish and serve.

 
 
MORE TAHINI RECIPES

 
 
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*You can also use the celery leaves as a garnish. Here are more ways to use celery leaves.
 

[1] Enjoy a healthful, lemony tahini dip with crudites (photos #1, #3, and #4 © Once Again).

[2] You can create a glorious pink and green crudités platter for Easter and other spring entertaining (photo © Seed + Mill).

[3] Once Again’s new Organic Sesame Tahini With Lemon..

[4] This lemony tahini dip is great with artichokes.