Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 packed active dry yeast
- 22 ounces all purpose flour (about 4.5 cups)
- 2 ounces melted unsalted butter (about 4 tablespoons)
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- nonstick cooking spray
- pretzel or kosher salt to sprinkle on top
Preparation
Step 1
1. combine the water, sugar, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit about 5 minutes, until foaming.
2. add the melted butter and flour to the bowl. mix on low speed with a dough hook until combined. turn the mixer up to medium and mix about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3. remove the dough from the bowl, spray the inside with cooking spray, and replace the dough back in the bowl. cover with plastic wrap and store in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. preheat the oven to 450F.
5. bring 10 cups of water and baking soda to a boil.
6. while the water is heating up, turn the dough out onto a well oiled cutting board. using a pizza cutter or chef's knife, cut the dough into 16 equal pieces (i cut mine like a pie).
7. roll each piece of dough into a rope about 18 inches long. form into a pretzel shape and place on the baking sheet. roll and form all pieces.
8. drop pretzels, 2 at a time, into the boiling water. boil for 30 seconds, remove with a slotted spatula or wire spider, and place back on the baking sheet. repeat with all the pretzels.
9. brush the tops of the pretzels with the beaten egg and sprinkle with salt to your liking.
10. bake for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown on top.
11. let cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
12. these are best eaten within 10 minutes of coming out of the oven, but a quick 20 seconds in the microwave works well too.
13. do not store in a sealed bag or food storage container as they will become wet and lose some of their chewiness. consume within 3 days, if you can make it that long.