Soft Pretzels

I think almost every blog has several posts starting with "I have been meaning to try this recipe for the longest time" or "Every time I tried to make this, something came up." Please believe me when I tell you, I literally had these on my weekly meal plan for several months. I would plan to make them every single week and something was always fated to spoil my plan. I finally made them and have already begun to fit them in again. We loved how delicious these were and we will definitely have to find time to make them again!

Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 cups plus 10 cups warm water, divided
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
2/3 cup baking soda
Egg wash (1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp. water)
Pretzels salt (I didn't have any, so I used kosher salt.)

Combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot for approximately 50-55 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Alton Brown