Mellow Mushroom Pretzels Copycat

I bet we can all imagine the signature Mellow Mushroom pretzel taste! It's unlike any other soft pretzel out there. Brushed with garlic butter and topped with parmesan cheese! This recipe is so close to the original you'll be making them all the time.

Who doesn't love Mellow Mushroom's pizza and pretzels?! That dough has such a different (in a good way) taste than any other dough I've ever had.

Not to mention they brush it in garlic butter and sprinkle parmesan on top. Hello, yummy.

My favorite pizza from them is the pacific rim pizza or the kosmic karma. And I have copycat recipes for both!

Mellow Mushroom actually bakes their pretzels right in the pizza oven! So these are made without a baking soda bath. You can actually use this dough for pizza dough as well. Just like theirs, it's for both.

You could also make this into pretzel bites. Instead of shaping pretzels just use a knife to cut pieces.

If you are ever looking for a more traditional pretzel that goes through the baking soda bath process I have a few recipes. There is this three cheese stuffed soft pretzels and soft pretzel balls with beer cheese.

Mellow Mushroom Dough Facts

After years of research and eating at Mellow Mushroom I feel like I've gathered a good amount of facts when it comes to their dough.

Here are some things I know. They use the same dough for the pizza and the pretzels.

The pretzels do not get dunked in a baking soda bath like a traditional pretzel dough.

The pretzel dough gets shaped and put right into the pizza oven. Which means it gets baked at a really high heat! So we are going to crank our ovens up to 450 followed by a 2 minute broil to get that classic golden char look.

The dough has a bit of a sweet taste to it. So we are adding a touch of molasses and honey.

Ingredients To Make Mellow Mushroom Pretzels

Here's what you'll need to make your own copycat Mellow Mushroom pretzels at home!

• flour - an all purpose flour
• water - I used filtered water
• active dry yeast - I have not tested it out with instant yeast so I'm not sure how that would work, stick to active
• kosher salt - kosher salt (if you are using another kind, like table salt you'll need to use less than the direct amount since kosher salt has a larger salt grain and takes up more space)
• honey - pure honey, this is going to give that little bit of sweetness but it also helps activate the yeast as the dough rises
• molasses - molasses is going to give us that signature Mellow Mushroom dough color (kind of golden in color) and also the taste
• butter - you'll need butter for the garlic butter
• garlic - fresh minced garlic, however in a bind you could try using garlic powder but I haven't tested that out
• parmesan cheese - to sprinkle on after the garlic butter

Aside from the ingredients that you'll need to make the pretzels, you'll need a baking sheet to cook them on.

How To Make The Pretzel Dough

Start by warming the water. It should be warm but not hot. Too cold or too hot will not activate the yeast, so be mindful of that.

Stir in the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes. It should be come foamy.

If you have a stand mixer than this part is easy. If not you'll be using your hand to knead the dough. Combine the flour and salt in a stand mixer bowl.

To the yeast mixture add in the honey, oil and molasses. Stir.

Pour this into the flour/salt. Using your dough hook, let your mixer knead this on low for 5 minutes. The dough will be smooth when done. Take it out of the bowl, knead by hand a few times to form into a ball.

The dough goes back into the bowl, covered with a tea towel and let it rise until at least doubled.

A warm oven can aid in this if it's chilly in your home. Simply turn the oven on, let it run a few minutes then turn it off, put the bowl in the oven and close the oven door.

It will rise, be poofy and ready to shape into pretzels.

Mellow Mushroom Pretzel Shaping

If you've ever been to a restaurant and happen to catch a glimpse in the kitchen while they are making pretzels it's quite a sight!

They roll the dough into really long strands. Then twist them into pretzels.

Section the dough into 6 even pieces. It's roughly about 4 ounce balls of dough.

For this recipe roll your strands out to 36" long. I know, it sounds pretty long! But they shrink up a bit so we're planning for that.

To help you roll, dampen your hands with a bit of water.

Lift up the ends and slap the dough on the counter a bit. Just trust me! If it breaks I'm sorry but it shouldn't. That didn't sounds convincing, did it? This is just the method I use. You can skip it if you want.

When you go to do the pretzel twist (that middle part) you are going to double twist it and then tuck the ends under the pretzel, instead of over. See the pictures, it will make more sense.

Again, there is no baking soda bath needed for these soft pretzels! Just like in this recipe for soft pretzels without baking soda.

Line them all up on a baking sheet with parchment paper (prevents sticking) and bake!

As soon as they come out of the oven brush on the garlic butter and sprinkle on the parmesan. So good.

More Copycat Recipe

• Mellow Mushroom Kosmic Karma Pizza
• Mellow Mushroom Pacific Rim Pizza
• Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
• Pita Jungle Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
• Chipotle Corn Salsa
• Chipotle Chicken Bowl

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