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Buttermilk biscuits are really great. Soft pretzels are really great. So why not bring them together into a baked good that’s a little bit of both? Our Pretzel Top Biscuits are just that – a flaky, fluffy affair with a salty pretzel-washed top. They’re as good dipped into nacho cheese as they are slathered with butter, which means you can enjoy them as a game day snack or a dinner side. Or just go ahead and enjoy them for both – they’re that good.
The biscuit itself is a biscuit you might be used to – you’ll make a buttermilk-based dough where you can still see flecks of butter and fold it a few times for a bit of lamination so you get flaky layers before you cut it out into rounds. Basic, right? The unique part is that you give these two quick washes before they head into the oven. The first is a baking soda wash, which is what gives pretzels their unique salty-tang, and the second is an egg wash to encourage browning. And of course, they wouldn’t be pretzel-inspired without a nice sprinkle of coarse salt.
They have that same satisfying saltiness that a soft pretzel does, but instead of the chew you get a soft and flaky bite once you get past the golden-brown top. There’s no extra time to put in here, no extra work, but it’s a tasty departure from your basic buttermilk biscuit.
Pretzel Top Biscuits
For the biscuits:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, chilled
For the pretzel wash:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
- Pretzel salt
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands until only pea-sized pieces remain. Place mixture in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.
- Add buttermilk to the flour mixture. Stir mixture together with a fork until no dry flour is visible. Dough will be sticky and shaggy.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for a bit until dough holds together, adding more flour as needed. Pat dough into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle.
- Fold dough into thirds, then lifting the short end, fold into third agains until you have a rectangle. Repeat folding process one more time, ending with a 1/2-inch thick rectangle.
- Cut out into 2-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter. Reform remaining dough scraps to cut out more biscuits as you go.
- Place biscuits 1-inch apart on a greased baking sheet and chill while you make the pretzel wash.
- In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Slowly stir in baking soda. Once mixture starts to foam, remove from heat and continue stirring. Brush the tops of each biscuit with the soda wash.
- Brush biscuits with prepared egg wash. Sprinkle with salt and bake until deep golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.