Pretzels

By Joanks

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsps. kosher salt
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• approx. 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 ounces unsalted butter,melted
• vegetable oil for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp. water
• pretzel salt

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top.
Allow to sit for 5 minutes or mixture begins to foam.
Add the flour and butter and using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined.
Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls wasy form the side of the bowl,approx. 4-5 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil.
Return the dough to the bowl cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approx. 50-55 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil.
Set aside.
Bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8 quart saucepan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled surface and divide into 8 equal pieces.
Roll out each piece of dough into a 24 inch rope.
Make a U shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to shape the pretzel.
Place onto the parchment lined pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds.
Remove them from water using a large spatula.
Return to the baking sheet, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with pretzel salt.
Bake until dark golden brown, approx. 12-14 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving