Rosemary Soft-Pretzels (Whole Wheat) (Vegan)

We weren't feeling well today so I decided that some old-fashioned chicken noodle soup was in order but we needed something else to lighten up the day and make things more exciting. So, I decided that the perfect accompaniment would be big, chewy, salty soft pretzels. I looked at two recipes for inspiration, two peas & their pods and Will Cook for Smiles. Both had the same great ideas, but I needed to make some slight variations, as I wouldn't be using eggs nor would I be using sugar.

Rosemary Soft Pretzels

For dough:
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp maple syrup
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs. fresh Rosemary, chopped finely

For topping:
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh rosemary, chopped finely

Additional:
1 large pot of boiling water with 3 Tbs of baking soda in it

Throw the ingredients for the dough into kitchen mixer and mix on low for two minutes. Continue to beat on med-high for an additional 5 minutes. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let rise 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll out and form into pretzel shapes on parchment covered baking sheets. Allow to rise for an additional 20-30 minutes. (Note: the pretzel will rise a good amount still, so when forming them you may want to keep this in mind or you could get pretzel rolls).

Boil each pretzel for 1-2 minutes on each side in the pot of water with baking soda in it. Remove from water, brush with olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt and additional rosemary on top. Bake at 450 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown.