Pretzels

Since summer is right around the corner, and my boyfriend just LOVES these things, I thought I'd try my hand at baking some pretzels. My friend Kate kept telling me that Alton Brown’s recipe was so simple and so easy that I just HAD to make them. So, a couple months later I finally gave in and made these bad boys.
I don’t think I can stress enough how easy making these were! Seriously, everything happened so fast. One minute I was making the dough, then the next minute I was devouring a delicious, warm, salty pretzel. Now this might sound weird to you, but I’ve always thought soft pretzels have a very distinct taste to them, and for some reason I never could figure it out. Until I made them at home. The specific flavor soft pretzels have come from their dip in the baking soda jacuzzi.

Intense. I swear it’s a hot tub for pretzels.

My boyfriend wants me to make some kind of gooey, cheesy dipping sauce for them, but I think they are delicious just the way they are. Fresh out of the oven. This recipe makes a total of eight pretzels, and their shelf life is about a week.

Pretzels
(Recipe from Alton Brown)

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups warm water ( 110 to 115F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 ½ cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (kosher salt)

Directions:

Combine water, sugar, and kosher salt in the bowl for your mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over top of it; let is sit for 5 minutes (the mixture should begin to get foamy).

Then add the flour and melted butter. Using a dough hook mix the ingredients together at a low speed until it is well combined. Then increase your speed to medium and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth, and it should pull away from the side of the bowl.

Oil a bowl, place the dough inside of it, cover with plastic wrap, and let is sit in a warm place for 50 – 55 minutes*

Preheat the oven to 45F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and oil.

Now it’s time to make the baking soda jacuzzi. Bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil in a roasting pan.

While the jacuzzi is getting hot it’s time to make the pretzels. Divide the dough into eight pieces.

Roll each piece into a 24inch rope. Then, make a U shape with your rope. Next, take the ends of the pretzel, cross them, and then place them under the U shape. You should have something that looks like a pretzel.

Place pretzels in baking soda jacuzzi for 30 seconds. Then place them on your lined and oiled baking sheets. Brush the top of the pretzels with the egg wash, and then sprinkle with salt. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Move them to a cooling rack, and let the pretzels sit for 5 minutes. Then enjoy eating your pretzels with a cute boy.

* I always let my dough rise in the oven with a bowl of hot water place directly underneath it. It works every time.