Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 ¼ cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• ¼ cup kosher salt, for topping

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1
  In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 1/4 cup warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Step 2
  In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two more tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Step 3
  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Step 4
  In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in 4 cups hot water; set aside. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda-hot water solution and place pretzels on baking sheets. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Step 5
  Bake in preheated oven until browned, about 8 minutes.

Brush with butter after!