Soft Pretzels

I love soft pretzels so much! Maybe it's just because I love any form of bread... Carbs, so good but so bad! I've been on the look out for a soft pretzel recipe, and I can't say that I'm completely satisfied with this one, but it's still good enough to pass on.

I really wanted to try out a pretzel recipe after Dillon and I had been browsing TJ Maxx and found a fancy honey mustard spread/dip. It definitely satisfied the craving!

Soft Pretzels

2 cups milk 

1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast (2 packets)

6 Tbsp brown sugar

4 Tbsp butter, room temperature

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus an up to an additional 1/2 cup as needed

2 tsp fine salt

1/3 cup baking soda

3 cups warm water

coarse salt, to taste

6 Tbsp butter, melted

Microwave milk for 1 min. Pour milk and yeast into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and whisk together until yeast has dissolved, let rest 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, 4 tbsp softened butter, 1 cup flour and 2 tsp fine sea salt to milk mixture and using the whisk attachment, stir until blended. 

Switch attachment to a dough hook, add remaining 3 1/2 cups flour and kneaded mixture on medium low speed until elastic. Mix in up to an additional 1/2 cup flour, as needed, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper (or you could grease them). Punch dough down several times to release any air pockets. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a long, thin rope about 32 - 36 inches long.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together baking soda and warm water then fully immerse pretzel into water mixture and allow excess water to drip off. Shape into pretzel and place on prepared baking sheet, then sprinkle to taste with coarse salt. Repeat this process with remaining dough. 

Bake pretzels in preheated oven 7 - 11 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush top and bottom of pretzels with melted butter. 

Serve warm with dipping sauces, such as honey mustard or cheese sauce, and even the cinnamon pear caramel sauce. Alternately, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar after brushing with butter.

Makes 12