This pretzel shakshuka has the classic Mediterranean spicy tomato based stew with an egg in it baked into a crust like a soft pretzel! Break the work up into two days by making the dough and tomato sauce on one day, and then boiling, assembling and baking them off the next day! This is the sort of brunch dish that will impress all your guests.
Course Breakfast, brunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Keyword egg, pizza, pretzels, shakshuka, tomato
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Rise Time 1 hourhour
Servings 4
Author Irvin
Ingredients
Dough
1 1/2cupswarm water90 to 100°F
1tablespoonhoney
2 1/4teaspoonsactive dry yeast7 g or 1 package
4cupsbread flour640 g
1/4cupolive oil60 g
2teaspoonkosher salt
Boiling
10cupswater
2/3cupbaking soda
Tomato Sauce
2tablespoonolive oil
6medium cloves garlicchopped
1small red or yellow onion choppedabout 3/4 cup
1jalapenochopped (remove seeds and membrane if sensitive to heat)
nigella seeds or black sesame seedsoptional (see note after recipe)
Instructions
Make the dough by first stirring the warm water and honey together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the liquid and stir with a fork to dissolve. Let sit for 5 minutes to proof. The top of the liquid should be foamy. If it isn’t, discard and start over with fresh yeast.
Once the yeast has proofed, add flour, olive oil and salt to the liquid. On low speed, stir with the dough hook until the liquid has absorbed all the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth, elastic and pulls away cleanly from the side of the bowl.
If you don't have a stand mixer or want to knead the dough by hand, combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Then knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.
Pull the dough off the hook and out of the bowl. Spray a bowl with cooking oil. Stretch the dough into a ball, gathering the rough edges of the dough into one side and then place in the bowl, with the rough edges down. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit to rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled, about 50 to 60 minutes.
While the dough has doubled, make the tomato sauce by placing the olive oil, garlic, onion, and jalapeno in a large skillet or saute pan. Cook on medium heat until the onions start to soften and the garlic smells fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, harissa, tomato paste, honey and salt. If you using whole tomatoes, crush them with a wooden spoon or a potato masher.
Heat on high until the sauce is boiling, then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce is thick, about 15 to 20 minutes if you are using diced tomatoes, 30 to 35 minutes if you are using whole tomatoes. You want the sauce to be somewhere between spaghetti and pizza sauce in thickness.
Place a baking steel, pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 475°F.
Once the dough has risen and the tomato sauce has thickened, Place the water and the baking soda in a large pot, stir to help dissolve the baking soda, then heat on high until boiling.
On a clean surface, divide the dough into 4 parts. Cover three of the dough rounds with plastic wrap. Push the fourth dough into a round flatten disk with your fingers, about 6 to 8 inches wide (it’ll expand when you boil and bake it). Indent and flatten the center of one the disk, making sure the rim around the edge of the dough is thick, like a pizza crust.
Once the water has boiled, place the dough in the water, and let it boil for 1 minute. Occasionally, gently push the dough down in the water with a large spatula to help immerse and boil the entire surface of the dough.
Once the minute is up, remove the dough with two spatulas carefully, and place on a silicon baking sheet or a piece of parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Do not use parchment paper that has not been oiled. The wet dough will stick to it!
Spread 1/4 of the tomato sauce into the center of the dough, making a slight indention in the center. Crack an egg in the middle of the tomato sauce and sprinkle the feta cheese around the egg.
Beat the egg and water together to form a wash. Brush the edge of the dough with the egg wash, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and nigella seeds if using.
Move the entire silicon sheet or parchment paper (with the pretzel shakshuka on it) into the oven, on top of the baking steel, pizza stone, baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 11 to 12 minutes, or until the edge of the pretzel shakshuka looks dark brown like a pretzel and the whites of the egg are set, but the yolk is still jiggly.
Remove from the oven, then repeat with the remaining three other dough rounds. Sprinkle each pretzel shakshuka with parsley leaves before serving, crack some fresh pepper over the egg and serve immediately.
Notes
The black seeds you see on the edge of the pretzel shakshuka are nigella seeds, which are sometimes hard to find. They have an herby, almost oregano flavor with a bit of onion allium thrown in. You can find them online or at specialty stores. If you can't find them (though I highly recommend tracking them down as they are wonderful) you can either substitute black sesame seeds for them or just omit them.