Soft Pretzels

Pretzels have always been an incredibly intimidating recipe. There are more steps, more folding, more transfers between surfaces. But if you want to get a head start at controlling the ingredients in your snacks around the house, it's time we put those fears aside babe!

You are going to be obsessed with the ways these rise. So soft, pillowy, and perfect for dipping!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees - if you dont have a food thermometer, warm water in a bowl until its warm to the touch, but not burning. If the water is too hot, you WILL kill the yeast and these pretzels will not rise)

• 1 Tablespoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 package active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup melted butter

• Olive oil (for coating a bowl - you can also use vegetable oil)

• 10 cups water

• 2/3 cups baking soda

• 1 large egg yolk with 1 Tablespoon water

• Flaky Sea Salt

Instructions

1. Combine the water, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and melted butter using a dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, or use a new bowl, and then oil the bowl well with olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl, turn dough over to oiled side up, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
   Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil in an deep saucepan.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Set aside.

3. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other, twist, and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

4. Place the pretzels, carefully, into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the flaky salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. Brush with melted butter if serving immediately.