Soft Pretzels

I never used to like soft pretzels. My experiences with them were not great. My first time tasting and making them was back in junior high cooking class, and they did not turn out well. Then I tasted the authentic kind while on vacation and fell in love with them. Now I miss them. So today I attempted making them. Amazingly, my first attempt with the first recipe I tried turned out fantastic - despite the humid weather! They rose well, and tasted great. They take a little practice to shape nicely though, but if they fall apart, they are still delicious. I'll likely be making these more often now with this foolproof recipe - the egg wash glaze, high baking temperature, and baking soda water bath are two key components to authentic (or so I've read). Let's leave cooking class to the basic biscuits, no bake cookies, and thick crust so-called pizzas. Although this recipe appears lengthy, it isn't that difficult and requires less than two hours, including rising time.

Soft Pretzels
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon granulated (white) sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter or hard margarine, melted
3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups all-purpose 
2 teaspoons salt
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk
1 Tablespoon water
coarse salt

In a large bowl, stir together the water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let stand for about 10 minutes until frothy. Stir to dissolve.

Add in the butter, 2 cups of flour, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer, dough hook, or by hand until flour is absorbed. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a smooth, soft, elastic dough, either mixing by hand or using a mixer. When dough becomes stiff, knead in remaining flour by hand. 

Form dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, and turn once to grease top. Allow dough to rise for one hour.

Punch dough down, divide into eight equal sized portions. Roll each into a rope, about 12-15 inches long, then form into a pretzel shape. 

Meanwhile, bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large pot. Cook each pretzel in the water for exactly 30 seconds, in batches. Depending on the size of your pot, you should be able to fit 2-4 pretzels in. Remove pretzels to a rack to drain.

Preheat oven to 425◦F. Place pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (again, you may need to work in batches). Beat together the egg yolk and water and brush over each pretzel. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake for exactly 12 minutes. These are best enjoyed fresh - straight from the oven or while still warm. Alternately, they can be refreshed for a few minutes in the oven, ideally the same day. They don't really need anything, but a little butter, cheese, or sausage goes nicely. As an alternative to salt, pretzels may be sprinkled with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, or cinnamon sugar before baking.