Soft Pretzels
This recipe creates soft, chewy pretzels with a golden-brown crust and a sprinkle of coarse salt.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F/45°C)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup baking soda
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Coarse salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine warm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
- Add the yeast mixture and melted butter to the flour mixture.
- Stir until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (230 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan, bring 10 cups of water and baking soda to a boil.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a 20-inch rope.
- Twist the rope into a pretzel shape and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully dip each pretzel into the boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Return pretzels to the baking sheet.
- Brush each pretzel with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
- Make sure the water is not too hot when you add the yeast, or it will kill the yeast and the dough won't rise.
- Kneading the dough is important for developing the gluten, which gives the pretzels their chewy texture.
- The baking soda bath helps the pretzels develop their characteristic brown color and chewy crust.
- If you don't have coarse salt, you can use regular table salt, but the pretzels won't have as much of a salty flavor.