Soft Chewy Homemade pretzles

By rejadez

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 TBS. brown sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. bread flour
• 3 c. all purpose flour
• 4 c. water
• 4 TBS. baking soda
• coarse salt to sprinkle on pretzels
• 2 to 4 TBS. butter, melted

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450º F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans.

Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and salt stirring to dissolve.

Into the bowl of a mixer, add flour. Using the paddle attachment on low speed, mix the flour and drizzle the yeast mixture into the bowl. Beat until the dough forms a ball, then change to the dough hook attachment and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Alternately, you can do this by hand, kneading for roughly 10 minutes.

Place dough into a greased bowl and allow to rise for at least 1/2 hour in a dry, warm place. (I either use the inside of my oven [TURNED OFF] with the light on, or I put the bowl on top of my dryer while I'm drying clothes.)

While the dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 4 cups warm water and 4 TBS. baking soda stirring often until baking soda is completely dissolved.

After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and twist into desired pretzel shape.

Once shaped, dip the pretzel in the soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again - I let mine go about 15 minutes or so.
Bake in the prepared oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle coarse salt over them or you can use any herb or topping of your choice on the buttered pretzels. Sesame seeds work well, as does cracked black pepper. A great sweet topping is cinnamon sugar.. chocolate doesn't hurt either. ;)