It's been several years since I made pretzels and as you can see, I am out of practice! Their shape is a bit wonky but their taste is spot on. It has been so hot and humid here that I am spending a lot of time inside with the pups and cooking. In case you want to give these a go, here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 and ¾ - 4 cups all-purpose flour
- coarse sea salt and pepper for sprinkling
- ½ cup baking soda
- 9 cups water
Directions:
- Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with dough hook in a stand mixer for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth dough.
- Cover the dough and let it rise for an hour. At the end of the hour bring the water and baking soda to a boil.
- Preheat oven to 425°F . Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.Sprinkle them with cracked black pepper and flaky sea salt.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
- Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape.
- Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, lift the pretzel out of the water place on a towel to absorb the water. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Brush with a wash made of 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp. of water. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm.
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