Warning: The park opens this week.

And we, here at Garlic, My Soul, are already planning our trip to Isla Nublar. There is a fantastic and thorough map of the park up at Jurassic World’s website. You can peruse the attractions, exhibits, and dining choices.

But, what are our snack options between Margaritaville and the Hilton Isla Nublar? What will serve as that much-needed blood-sugar boost while we ride the monorail between Triceratops Territory and T. Rex Kingdom?

We know what we’d have available: Gluten-Free Buckwheat soft pretzels. Like the Indominus Rex, it’s a hybrid creation. We took the technique and principle of Alton Brown’s Soft Pretzel recipe and tweaked it for our own nefarious purposes, namely, some of us can’t eat gluten.

We also put to use King Arthur Flour’s indubitable Gluten-Free Bread and Pizza Mix. With the yeast packet already in the box and those notoriously complicated, gluten-free flour blends already mixed up, this is a keyboard shortcut in a box.

The idea of making soft pretzels has long been thrown around the GMS kitchen. The process can be a bit tricky. (Like all experiments, it comes with the inherent risk of poor tasting, rock-hard dough nuggets, or the inevitable destruction of a foolhardy, but undeniably alluring, theme park.)

So, when we made this batch recently in the hopes of catching Jurassic World Food and Beverage administrators’ attention and decided to make them gluten free, we lowered our expectations accordingly and shot for the Nublarian stars.

Boy, did it ever pay off. These hearty, fiber-heavy pretzels exceeded all of our wildest hopes. They’re rich tasting and buttery with that traditional, yeasty soft pretzel flavor.

It’s a complex recipe that really pays off for the adventurous soul. We had pretzels for days that we were eating in between meals and with meals like soup and sandwiches (or even as meals themselves).

So, listen up, Jurassic World. Garlic, My Soul is ready to board the ferry and set up shop on the island. (Please refer to our business plan, attached.) Let us in those doors, and we’ll serve pretzels until closing time, come what may. 

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cup warm water
1 tbsp. sugar
2 teas. kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
2 ¾ cups King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Bread and Pizza Mix
1 ¼ cup buckwheat
3 oz. melted butter  (2 for dough, 1 for brushing after baking)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil (for brushing trays and oiling dough before rising)
6 cups water
¼ cup baking soda
1 egg

DIRECTIONS

1. Place warm water, sugar, kosher salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
2. Give it one quick stir, and then let it sit until the yeast bubbles to life.
3. Add the King Arthur Flour and melted butter.
4. Attach dough hook (or use a fork) and mix until well combined.
5. Add remaining buckwheat flour and mix on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
6. Rub the dough ball with oil, place a piece of plastic wrap over it (directly onto the dough not just across the top of the bowl), and let sit for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
7. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
8. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, brush lightly with oil, and set aside.
9. Crack egg into a small bowl, mix with 2 tablespoons water, and set aside as well.
9. Place the 6 cups of water and baking soda in a large stock pot over medium heat.
10. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, turn out the dough onto a lightly oiled surface.
11. Kneed slightly and form a dough ball.
12. Pull off a roughly baseball-sized chunk of dough. Cover the rest with plastic wrap while you work.
13. Roll small dough mound into a long rope.
14. To make the pretzel shape, begin to form a circle from the bottom, then cross at the top and fold the ends back to the bottom, center of the rope. It took us a while to get them even remotely pretzel shaped, so don’t be afraid to try, try again.
15. Place finished pretzels on your oiled tray.
16. Using a flat metal strainer or spatula, lower the pretzels into the boiling water and allow to cook for approximately 30 seconds each.
17. Remove from water and place back on tray.
18. When you’ve boiled your tray full of pretzels, brush with your egg wash, sprinkle with salt, and slide those suckers into the oven for 12-14 minutes.
19. Remove and drench with butter. Enjoy at your leisure. Or on the run from terrifying hybrid dinosaurs, as the case may be.

This post is courtesy of the talented chefs at Garlic, My Soul!  Be sure to stop by their website to see posts like this one and many more!