Soft Pretzel Recipe

By dette

Big soft pretzels are all the rage in shopping malls across the country. I think it's worth the time to make them from scratch to get the incomparable homemade taste.

Ingredients

• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• Coarse salt

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, butter, salt, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Cut each into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a 20-in. rope. Shape into a pretzel.
Place on greased baking sheets. Beat egg yolk and cold water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes.
Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 32 pretzels.