This Father’s Day, celebrate pretzels infused with the dark side. Shaped like Lord Vader’s helmet, together with this tasty snack you can rule the galaxy.
These are no-boil pretzels, so they’re a little more bready, but still full of flavor with a nice crunchy crust. Add a healthy amount of coarse salt — it may be rough, and irritating, and get everywhere, but it sure is delicious on top of a crusty pretzel.
Darth Vader Pretzels
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups warm water
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil (to grease the bowl)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Coarse salt
In the bowl of an electric mixer add the warm water, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit for 5 minutes until it begins to foam.
Add the flour and butter and mix with the dough hook attachment until smooth.
Remove the dough from the bowl and set aside.
Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, then return the dough to the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for about 1 hour, until the dough doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and prep baking pans with buttered parchment or silpats.
Remove the dough from the bowl. Pull off a piece and roll it out into a long rope to form the outline of Vader’s head. Use more dough to create the eye and mouth details, press to secure.
Place the pretzels onto the prepped baking sheets. Brush the tops of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk mixture, then sprinkle with the coarse salt.
Bake for 12 -14 minutes, then let cool on a wire rack.
Serve with mustard or cheese sauce. And embrace the flavor of the dark side.
Jenn Fujikawa is a lifestyle and food writer. Follow her on Twitter at @justjenn and check her Instagram @justjennrecipes and blog www.justjennrecipes.com for even more Star Wars food photos.
