Homemade Soft Pretzels

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Warm Water (110 - 115 degrees F)
1 packet Active Dry Yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
11oz All Purpose Flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
11oz Bread Flour or Strong Flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (melted)
Non-stick oil spray
1 Large Egg Yolk
Sea Salt

Dipping Solution

10 cups Water
2/3 cups Baking Soda

Note

This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown - the best pretzel recipe I've found to date! I did half & half AP flour & bread flour and added just a tad more salt. Make sure you use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the water before adding the yeast. It does make a difference.

Directions

Step 1
Place warm water, sugar & salt in the bowl of a mixer. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Let stand for 5 minutes until it starts to get foamy.
Step 2
Sift the flour and add it to the bowl with the melted butter. Using the dough attachment, mix on low until it is combined. Begin to mix on medium for about 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and begins to pull away from the bowl.
Step 3
Take the dough ball out of the bowl, clean and spray with non-stick spray. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place about 75-80 degrees F for about 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray two light colored baking sheets with baking spray. Bring the water and baking soda to a rolling boil in a large pot or pan.
Step 5
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a long strand about 18 inches long. To form the traditional pretzel shape, take one side and criss cross it over the other side and pinch together at the bottom. For pretzel bites, cut the strand into 6 equal portions.
Step 6
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Place the pretzels or pretzel bites in the boiling water for about 30 seconds each. Remove from the water using a flat spatula and place on the baking sheet. The first 3 times I did this recipe, I used parchment paper and no matter how intense I sprayed the paper there was always paper stuck to my pretzels. Now I just place the pretzels directly on the sheet and I haven't had any problems with sticking.
Step 7
Brush the egg wash over each, salt with kosher salt, sea salt or pretzel salt & place in to the oven to bake for about 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to let cool about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite cheese sauce, mustard or if you're from the East Coast, ketchup!