Homemade Mickey Pretzels

This quarantine has got me craving all of the Disney foods! Maybe it has to do with the fact that I’m currently homeschooling my children, instead of being in Walt Disney World enjoying my favourite Disney treats. And while that is out of my control, I can still recreate my faves at home!

I am always down for anything that has to do with dough, and making Mickey pretzels at home is easier than you might think. I have created an easy method (with dough from a can), and a recipe from scratch for those of us that were lucky enough to snag yeast. Trust me, these Mickey pretzels are sure to brighten up your day!

Supplies:

• Sharp paring knife
• Printed picture of a Mickey pretzel
• Craft scissors
• Pot of boiling water
• Lined baking pan
• Stand-up mixer w/ dough hook attachment (for homemade recipe)
• Mixing bowl (for homemade recipe)
• Measuring cups and spoons (for homemade recipe)
• Cooking spray (for homemade recipe)
• Tea towel (for homemade recipe)

Ingredients (for easy method):

• 1-2 cans Pillsbury pizza crust dough
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 egg (for the egg wash)
• Coarse salt (for sprinkling on top)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and start a large pot of water boiling on the stove. It only needs to be filled up to 1/3 with water. You want the pot big enough to fit one or two pretzels. 

Let’s start with the easy way. All you need is one or two cans of Pillsbury pizza crust dough, how easy is that? Just unroll the sheet of dough and you are ready to go!

I tried a couple of different methods for creating the Mickey shape with the dough. First I tried creating his face with bits and pieces. Unfortunately, he looked more like Winnie the Pooh and completely fell apart in the water bath stage. Next I tried to simplify it by doing just a circle with two ears. This also fell apart in the water bath. Finally, I got smart and decided to cut it out of one piece. I didn’t figure that out until my homemade batch of dough so I don’t have great pics for you guys of what the pizza dough looks like rolled out. It comes rolled up so all you need to do is flatten it out as is. 

Find a picture online of Mickey pretzels. You can make it as big or as small as you want. Mine were about 6″ in size. Whatever size you print will be the size of the pretzel so keep that in mind. I used a pair of craft scissors to cut out the outline of Mickey; plus the inside of his ears, nose and mouth. Honestly, I didn’t bother with the eyes, they were easy enough to free hand, but if you think you would do better making a guide, go ahead and cut those out too. I just used regular printing paper but you could print it out on card stock if you want to keep the stencil for future use. 

To cut out the Mickey shape I carefully used a paring knife to cut around the outlines. I had to go over it a couple of times to make sure it went all the way through. Once it was all cut out, I smoothed out any rough edges. It is a bit of a labour of love, but totally worth it for the perfect Mickey pretzel, just like in the parks. 

Now this next step might sound weird, but it is what gives the pretzels their dark crust and texture. Once the pot of water is boiling add the baking soda. It’s going to bubble up so just add a bit at a time. After you have cut out your Mickey shape, gently lower it into the water and soda mixture. Be careful when handling the dough so you don’t mess up the shape. Leave it in the water for 2-3 mins. The dough will look sticky and a little puffy, that is totally normal. Take it out with a slotted spoon, or a spider utensil, and then transfer it to a lined baking sheet. 

Once the tray is full, (Remember: you don’t want to crowd them, as they will expand in the oven), do a light egg wash over the whole pretzel. For the egg wash, just take an egg, give it a little whisk, and then brush it over the dough. Sprinkle with coarse salt and into the oven they go for 10-15 mins depending on how dark you like them. The darker they are the more dry they become, so I think it’s a bit of personal preference here. I baked mine for 12 mins, and found the texture of the bought dough to be perfect.

We like mustard for dipping, plain and simple. My husband likes hot mustard, so he mixes Dijon mustard and hot sauce with a little yellow mustard.

Enjoy!

Ingredients (for homemade pretzel dough):

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast (one packet)
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg (for the egg wash)
• Coarse salt (for sprinkling on top)

Homemade Dough Method:

1. Add the sugar to the warm water (make sure your water is warm enough to bloom the yeast, but not too hot or it will kill the yeast); stir until dissolved and then add yeast.
2. While the yeast blooms, mix the flour and salt in a standing mixer with the dough hook attachment.
3. Melt butter.
4. After approx. 10 mins you should see a foam on top of the yeast and water mixture and it should smell sweet like bread.
5. Add melted butter to water/ yeast mixture and then slowly pour into the dry ingredients with the mixer on low.
6. Allow the dough to mix until it comes together in a smooth ball and all of the flour is combined. If the mixture isn’t coming together, try adding water 1 tsp at a time until the dough forms. If the mixture is too sticky add a bit more flour.
7. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, spray the bowl with cooking spray or lightly coat with vegetable oil.
8. Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (This takes about an hour or so.)
9. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 of an inch and use the Mickey Mouse template to cut out the Mickey shape.
10. Follow the rest of the instructions as listed above in the blog.

Bonus Idea:

I had lots of dough so I used some to make pretzel wrapped hot dogs. These are great to have in the freezer for lunches. The kids love them!

Use the same method as the pretzels, except roll the dough into one long strand and then wrap it around the hot dogs. The whole thing gets dunked in the baking soda/boiling water bath, then give them an egg wash and sprinkle on the coarse salt. Bake them off for about 12-15 mins. 

What have you been making at home this Disney season? Will you be trying these Mickey pretzels at home? As always, we’d love to hear from you!

Have a magical day!
Heidi