Looking for something slightly different for your leftover turkey sandwiches this Thanksgiving? These easy pretzel rolls, inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction, are perfect for leftover turkey sandwiches — or any type of sandwich.
They also are great with our cheesy beer fondue. No matter how you eat them, you will love how simple they are to make.
Leftover traditions span generations. Some like to break open the sandwich fixings over late night card games. Some families like to save leftovers for the next day. Others use the leftover sandwich as the go-to Black Friday power lunch. No doubt, if you celebrate Thanksgiving, you have leftovers.
The perfect leftover Thanksgiving sandwich has some turkey, a bit of mayo, a smattering of cranberry sauce and stuffing. All together it’s a complete meal every bite.
To complement this deliciousness, you need the best roll. No ordinary sandwich bread will do. For truly great leftover sandwiches, use this pretzel roll from Sally’s Baking Addiction. This easy to make pretzel roll has crunchy outside and a soft and chewy center. Sprinkles with some rock salt, these rolls are great for sandwiches or alone for dipping.
Even if you have zero baking experience, you can make these rolls. The recipe starts with ingredients you probably have around the house: flour, milk, yeast, butter and sugar. It’s amazing what you can do with just those five ingredients! And in this case, these ingredients become the freshest, tastiest pretzel roll you’ll ever have.
You’ve never had this good of a sandwich. A hot fresh pretzel roll with Thanksgiving turkey will become your family’s new favorite tradition. You could also melt some cheese and have pretzel dips.
Store unused rolls in an airtight bag for up to three days. These freeze well, so make up a double batch for easy game night appetizers. You’ll love how easy these pretzels are and how delicious they are fresh from the oven.
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Activate yeast
Start by dissolving the yeast in the warm water. Don’t worry about the temperature, as long as it’s warm but not hot it will do the trick. Allow the yeast to bloom in the water, which means it starts to get a little foamy. It should take about a minute.
Begin dough
Melt one tablespoon of butter, then whisk it together with the brown sugar and salt and combine with the yeast. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and add three cups of flour, one at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon or with the dough hook of a stand mixer. The dough will be sticky: add three-quarters a cup of flour to the dough, and maybe a little more, until it is no longer sticky.
Let the dough rise
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes and shape into a ball. Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm environment until doubled, about one hour.
Form dough into balls
Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Take a sharp knife or pizza cutter and divide the dough into 12 sections and shape into balls.
Boil pretzel rolls
Preheat the oven to 400F. Then combine of water and baking soda in a large pot and bring to a boil. Drop one or two pretzel balls at a time into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. This is when pretzels get their distinctive flavor and texture, but do not let them boil longer or they will develop a most unpleasant metallic taste. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, lift the pretzel balls out of the boiling water, and drain as much water from them as possible. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, close together so the sides will be touching. Using a sharp knife score the tops of the dough balls.
Butter and salt rolls
Melt the rest of the butter and brush it on to the rolls. Then dust with the coarse salt. Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until they are a nice golden brown on all sides.
Beautiful golden brown pretzel rolls!
Crunchy outside and soft inside
A unique twist on the traditional turkey sandwich
This will have you craving leftovers immediately!
A tasty treat on their own, or with a delectable dip!
Easy pretzel rolls
Yield 12 rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1-1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 packet active dry or instant yeast
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided into 1 tablespoon and 3 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3-3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Baking soda bath
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 9 cups water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk yeast and warm water together. Allow to sit for one minute.
- Meanwhile, melt one tablespoon butter.
- Whisk in salt, brown sugar and melted butter into the yeast. Slowly add three cups of flour, one cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. The dough should be thick.
- Add 3/4 cup more flour and mix until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 - 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger: if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for three minutes and shape into a ball. At this point, it dough can be frozen (see freezing instructions below).
- Place in a large greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm environment for one hour or until nearly doubled in size. (Hint: Preheat oven to 200F, turn it off, place the dough inside and shut the oven.)
- Once risen, punch dough down to release any air bubbles. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and, with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 portions. Shape into balls.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats OR line a 9x13 baking pan. Set aside.
- Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzel rolls into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds (any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste). Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel roll out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel rolls onto prepared baking sheet or close together in a baking pan. Using a sharp knife, score a couple slits into the top of each.
- Melt the remaining butter. Lightly brush each roll with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- Bake for 22-26 minutes or until a deep golden brown on all sides.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm. Pretzel rolls may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to three days (they lose a little softness).
Make ahead tip: Pretzel roll freeze well, up to two months. To reheat, bake frozen pretzel rolls at 350F for 20 minutes or microwave until warm. The prepared pretzel dough can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature, then allow to rise and continue with step 6.
Courses Bread
