Big Soft Pretzels

By Addie

“On Sundays we went to Grandma's to eat pretzels and watch ball games on television.”

MY NOTES: use a water bath and boil the pretzels before baking! Makes a HUGE difference in getting that chewy pretzel consistency.

Ingredients

• 1 envelope dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110ºF to 115ºF)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Sift flour, granulated sugar and salt into yeast mixture and mix well.


Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 10 minutes.


Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Grease baking sheets.


Divide dough into 30 equal portions. Roll each portion into an 18-inch rope. Loop into pretzel shapes. Arrange on prepared baking sheets.


Brush the pretzels with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately or store cooled pretzels in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Grandma's Secret Tip:

Grandma always set out little bowls of mustard for dipping the pretzels. She usually offered several types, including yellow mustard, hot German mustard and coarse-grained mustard. When I make pretzels, I also include a bowl of honey mustard.