I eat pretzels everyday. I love pretzels and always, always have. When we moved to England in 2008, I will never forget that most people in our village had never heard of pretzels. Wait– what? Not kidding. I even went into a gourmet grocery store a few villages over, in search of my munchy mainstay and the guy who stocked the snack shelves looked at me as if I was mad crazy. So, I began making them myself. I don’t bake pretzels very often because they are just too tasty.
I found the best recipe for soft pretzels on Alton Brown’s web page. I’ve altered his recipe a bit, but not much– they are irresistible. Although just one is a meal in itself, personally, I couldn’t stop there.
3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 packets instant yeast
8 cups flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 stick butter, melted
12 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
Toppings: Kosher salt, sesame seeds, Parmesan cheese, cinnamon sugar, whatevah
1) Rinse the work bowl of a stand mixer with hot water. Drain, then pour 3 cups warm water in, add sugar and whisk to dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast over top and wait 5 minutes for it to bloom (get frothy). Once the yeast has bloomed, mix the flour and salt together and add it in, then add in melted butter. Turn the mixer on to low speed and work for 2-3 minutes, until the flour is incorporated, then turn it to medium and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides and is smooth (about 5 minutes more).
2) Remove the mixing bowl from the stand, cover with plastic wrap and set in a draft-free spot (unused microwaves work well). Allow the dough to rise until doubled in volume, about an hour.
3) Pre-heat oven to 45oF and bring the 12 cups of water to boil with the baking soda in a non-aluminum pot. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled workspace. Portion dough into 16 pieces (the easiest way to do this is to divide in half, then half those halves, and so on). Roll each dough into a ball, then using both hands, roll into a rope about 2 feet in length. Shape into a pretzel of any design you like. Oil 2 half sheets (large baking trays), boil each pretzel shape for 30 seconds (one at a time) and remove to the half sheets. Brush with egg wash and top liberally with toppings of choice. Bake 12 minutes, 10 if using convection.
Eat immediately and with abandon. Makes 16 large soft pretzels.