This is a fail proof recipe for soft pretzels, adapted from the Food Network. Total time: 2 Hours.
Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 package of active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast)
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
10 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup baking soda
coarse salt
Directions
1. Warm the milk in a saucepan until 110°F. Pour milk into a heatproof bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow yeast to soften for 2 minutes.
2. Stir in brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon.
3. Soften 2 tbsp butter and stir. Add 1 1/4 cup flour and salt into the mix and combine into a sticky dough forms.
4. Flour a surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Reshape the dough into a ball and place into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area. Let the dough rise for 1 hour or more (until dough doubles in size).
5. Once dough is ready, preheat oven to 450°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch the dough down lightly to deflate. Split into 6 portions.
6. Roll and stretch each piece into about an 20 inch length. Holding the ends of each piece, slap the middle of the dough onto a the floured surface. Then shape the dough into a pretzel shape.
7. Dissolve the baking soda in warm water using a shallow bowl. Dip each pretzel into the baking soda mix and place onto the parchment paper.
8. Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes. (Always bake for less time and adjust, if necessary)
9. Melt remaining butter into a shallow dish. Brush butter onto pretzels and sprinkle coarse salt on top.
10. Enjoy! Can be dipped into whole grain Dijon mustard or any dip you want!
Happy pretzel making!