Soft Pretzels

Walking through the mall in my town has created a problem. The mall isn't very big and the food court is at the center of it all, which means no matter where I go, I can smell Auntie Anne's pretzels. The smell is to die for and tempts me everytime I pass by. Occasionally, I will give in and buy cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks to share with my friends, but I think the raisin and icing pretzels may be the best.

This made me think about making my own pretzels at home. I hadn't made a baked good of this sort before and was curious as to how it was done. The pretzels need to be boiled in water with baking soda before being baked. I wasn't sure what the purpose of this was, so I did a bit of research to find out. The baking soda is what gives the pretzel its brown, shiny crust. Without that crust, what would the pretzel be? Twisty bread. Not very exciting if you ask me. These pretzels are very yummy if made the right way and are delicious with cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the top. If you are confident enough, you can try adding raisins and icing to the pretzels for an even sweeter treat.



Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

 For the dough:
1½ cups warm water (110-115° F)
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
22 oz. all-purpose flour (about 4½ cups)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl
For finishing:

 Cooking spray
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water
Pretzel (or kosher) salt
Cinnamon sugar (optional)
(1/4 cup sugar and 4 tsp cinnamon)


Directions
To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to dissolve the yeast. Add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 50-55 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan.

In the meantime, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Working with one piece at a time, roll a segment out into a 24-inch long rope.
Make a U-shape with the rope. Holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the U-shape to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 or 2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and return to the baking sheet. Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt (or cinnamon sugar). Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. Wait until the pretzels have cooled completely before putting them in a bag or container.

Source
Annie's Eats