Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

  • 1 & 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 packet instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
  • 3 – 4 cups flour
  • coarse sea salt for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • 9 cups water

Instructions

  1. Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter.
  2. Slowly add 3 cups of flour (1 cup at a time). Mix with a wooden spoonuntil the dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup flour as needed. Poke the dough with your finger. If it bounces back, it is ready to knead
  3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  4. While dough rests, bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a Chef Round Casserole. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  5. Cut dough into 12 sections. Roll the sections of dough into a 50-55cm rope.Take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle.
  6. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape.
  7. Place pretzels in a Chef rectangular dish. Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse sea salt.
  8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.