Soft Pretzels

I'm having so much fun making bread these days. You can make this recipe without a mixer, but if you are going to be making bread often, you may want to invest in a stand mixer since you can use it for so many other things as well.

I had an egg white left over from another recipe so I brushed that over the pretzels but you could use an egg yolk or even a whole egg if you want to.

There are many different things that you can sprinkle on top of your pretzels but I chose pink salt, sesame seeds and caraway seeds this time.

Soft Pretzels

Makes 12 pretzels

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (instant or active)
• 1 teaspoon pink salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 5 cups all purpose flour
• oil for rising
• 1 egg white
• salt, sesame seeds, caraway seeds
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 4 cups water

Directions

1. Place the warm water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of your mixer and combine with a whisk. Allow yeast to activate for about 10 minutes. 
2. Once your yeast is nice and foamy, add salt and melted butter and give it a stir.
3. On low speed, start adding the flour one cup at a time. You may need more or less depending on your altitude so add it just until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Five cups was perfect for me. 
4. Increase the speed of your mixer to medium and let the mixer knead for you for 5 minutes. Don't leave it or it may hop off the counter. You can also mix by hand if you don't have a mixer.
5. Oil the bottom and sides of a large bowl. I actually just used the bowl from the mixer. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic and a clean towel and allow to rise for 1 hour. I placed mine in the oven with the light on. 
6. Once the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 450F and place the rack in the middle.
7. Whisk your egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.
8. Bring 1/4 cup baking soda and 4 cups of water up to a simmer over medium heat.
9. Drop the dough out onto your counter-top or board and cut it into 12 pieces. You can make bigger pretzels if you wish, just be sure to adjust the baking time accordingly. 
10. Roll each piece of dough into a 1 foot long ropes, then form them into a pretzel shape by forming the rope into a U shape, twisting the top twice and then folding the ends back down into the bottom of the U. Here's a quick video showing how to form the pretzel shape. Place the pretzel onto a parchment lined baking sheet while you work on the next one.
11. One or two at a time, place the pretzels into the simmering pot of water for only 30 seconds. Splash a little water over the top rather than flipping the pretzels over. Remove with a slotted utensil to allow as much water to drip off as possible before placing back onto the parchment paper. 
12. Brush your pretzels with the egg wash and sprinkle on whichever toppings you like. 
13. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the tops turn golden. Allow to cool slightly before eating as they will be very hot straight from the oven. 

Tips:

• Pretzels are usually served with mustard or cheese sauce.