How To Mickey Mouse Homemade Soft Pretzels

I love making special food when hosting parties, and I love getting kids involved in helping when possible. Combining a party with kids making the snacks for it? It’s a total win/win. When I hosted my #DisneySide @ Home party last weekend, we made Mickey Mouse Ear homemade soft pretzels, and they were absolutely the hit of the party.

The dough is easy to make ahead of time, and letting the kids shape their own pretzels is half the fun. It’s a great way to get them involved, and then there’s the joy of them getting to eat their creations, too.  You would think they’d take much more effort and talent to make than what they really do, but as we proved… all it takes is a bit of magic!

These were such a hit at our party. Everyone loved how they tasted, and getting to create their own Mickey Mouse ears was a hoot. I loved how the creativity shone through. We had several different types of ears appear from our eager students, although they soon agreed with me that the method I taught them was the easiest and most successful way to get our Mickey Mouse ear pretzels.

Ready to make them yourself? Each batch makes 12 medium size soft pretzels.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c warm water
2 1/2 t yeast
1 T sugar
1 t salt
2 T butter (or coconut oil for a dairy free version), melted
4 1/2 c flour
2/3 c baking soda
1 egg yolk
pretzel salt

Directions:
Place your warm water, salt, and sugar in your mixing bowl. Add the yeast, and stir. Add 2 cup of flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the butter and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining 2 1/2 c flour and stir until the dough is a uniform consistency. Knead with a stand mixer 5-7 minutes or by hand 10-20 minutes until the dough is soft and uniform.

Place a damp cloth over the bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled. Prepare two baking sheets while the dough is rising by greasing lightly.

Cut the dough into 12 equal size pieces (about 3.4 ounces each). Let rest for a few minutes while preparing the baking soda bath. Fill a large heavy pot about 2/3 full of water and add 2/3 cup baking soda. Bring to a boil while shaping your pretzels. If making traditional pretzels, roll into 24 inch ropes then flip into the pretzel shape. If making Mickey Mouse ears, poke a hole in the middle, stretching out the head from that initial circle, being sure to pull out two lumps of dough for the ears. Place each finished pretzel onto your baking sheet.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Once all pretzels have been formed, beat your egg yolk with 1 T water to form an egg wash and set aside. Drop pretzels into your baking soda bath one at a time, letting cook for about 30 seconds and flipping halfway through before placing back on your baking sheet. This is what gives your pretzels some of its traditional taste and texture.

Once half your pretzels have been boiled off, brush them with the egg wash and add salt to the top. Place them in the oven and bake for 12 minutes at 450 degrees until golden brown. While they are baking, prepare the other 6 pretzels and bake once the first batch is complete.

Eat straight from the oven or store in a tightly sealed container on your counter for 1-2 days.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

These fun homemade soft pretzels look like Mickey ears - like the ones you buy in the park, but oh so much cheaper!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 2 hours hours 11 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 23 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 pretzels

Calories: 201kcal

Author: Michelle

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons pretzel salt

Instructions

• Place your warm water, salt, and sugar in your mixing bowl. Add the yeast, and stir. Add 2 cup of flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the butter and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cup flour and stir until the dough is a uniform consistency. Knead with a stand mixer 5-7 minutes or by hand 10-20 minutes until the dough is soft and uniform.
  1 1/2 cups warm water, 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 1/2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Place a damp cloth over the bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled. Prepare two baking sheets while the dough is rising by greasing lightly.
• Cut the dough into 12 equal size pieces (about 3.4 ounces each). Let rest for a few minutes while preparing the baking soda bath. Fill a large heavy pot about 2/3 full of water and add 2/3 cup baking soda. Bring to a boil while shaping your pretzels. If making traditional pretzels, roll into 24 inch ropes then flip into the pretzel shape. If making Mickey Mouse ears, poke a hole in the middle, stretching out the head from that initial circle, being sure to pull out two lumps of dough for the ears. Place each finished pretzel onto your baking sheet.
• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Once all pretzels have been formed, beat your egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water to form an egg wash and set aside. Drop pretzels into your baking soda bath one at a time, letting cook for about 30 seconds and flipping halfway through before placing back on your baking sheet. This is what gives your pretzels some of its traditional taste and texture.
  1 egg yolk, 2/3 cup baking soda
• Once half your pretzels have been boiled off, brush them with the egg wash and add salt to the top. Place them in the oven and bake for 12 minutes at 450 degrees until golden brown. While they are baking, prepare the other 6 pretzels and bake once the first batch is complete.
  2 tablespoons pretzel salt

Equipment

Bench Scraper Multi-tool

Pastry Brush

Asian Kitchen Spider Strainer

Notes

• Eat straight from the oven or store in a tightly sealed container on your counter for 1-2 days.
• For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1pretzel | Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 267mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

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