Homemade Pretzels

There's no denying that I love food, and I really find fun and comfort in cooking.  One of my biggest food weaknesses is pretzels.  I love hard pretzels for snacking on, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE soft pretzels.  Auntie Anne's is one of my favorite places in any mall.  I have long wanted to try to make soft pretzels but have always been inhibited -- they wouldn't taste anywhere close to a decent soft pretzel; and me and yeast have had a dicey history.  For whatever reason -- maybe it's because it's Super Bowl Sunday (49ers vs. Ravens), maybe it's because I was bored, but I decided today was the day to give it a try.  I am thrilled to say that I successfully made something using yeast, but also made something that I thought was worthwhile, but also the platter of pretzel sticks that I brought to our neighbor's house for the game was devoured quite quickly with raves!

• 1 ½ cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
• 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp.)
• 3 oz. unsalted butter, melted (¾ stick)
• 2 ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil
• 3 quarts water
• ¾ cup baking soda
• 1-2 whole egg, beaten with 1-2 Tbsp. cold water
• Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined.  Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes.  If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 Tbsp. at a time. 
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
4. Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil.
5. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
7. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot over high heat and add the baking soda.
8. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. 
9. Using a pizza cutter, divide the circle of dough into 8 equal pieces, like a pizza. 
10. Roll each piece into a long rope, cutting each piece as needed, and shape into the lengths or shapes that you want (sticks are easy and tasty).
11. Boil the pretzels in the water solution in batches.  Boil for about 30 seconds.  Remove with a large slotted spoon. 
12. Place pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper -- make sure they are not touching. 
13. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with kosher salt. 
14. Place into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
    
    Add additional toppings immediately after they come out of the oven.
    Serve with Beer Cheese Sauce, or other dipping sauces.

Adapted from Lee Cooks blog