food friday: homemade pretzels

I've had a lot of people requesting this recipe. You will not be disappointed. I can't even tell you how much I loved these twisty little treats. I am partial to the salty kind because if you know me at all, you know I am addicted to salt. However, I did make a couple cinnamon and sugar kind for the kids, and they were a huge hit.

Make them. Dip them in some butter and salt or cinnamon/sugar. Unbutton your pants. And eat three...like me.

Homemade Pretzels (My notes are in red. I found the recipe on the Food Network)
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt or coarse salt like Kosher

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. 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 well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the 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. (I just sprayed pam on my cookie sheet.)

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 beaten egg yolk and water mixture and lightly sprinkle with the pretzel salt or cinnamon sugar. (I didn't do the egg yolk part because I wanted mine to be coated in butter, but I would do it with the egg yolk next time because the butter made it so the pretzels didn't hold up well.) Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

As already mentioned, I would make mine a little different the next time. I would follow this recipe and use the egg yolk. After they were pulled out of the oven, I would then coat the ones I was about to eat in butter and more salt or cinnamon sugar. I think the pretzels would keep better. If you want to make little pretzel bites, you should try this recipe.