Recipe: Soft Pretzels

Mmm...pretzels...soft on the inside with a slightly browned exterior, sprinkled with sea salt and dipped in your favorite mustard. These pretzels are a breeze to make and you may even have all of the ingredients already on hand.

Makes 12 pretzels

Ingredients:

Dough

2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast (for those of you using packets, this is equal to 1 packet)

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used safflower)

Baking Soda Bath

3 tablespoons baking soda

2 cups hot water

Garnish

1-2 tablespoons salt (larger and coarser is better, as this is for the outside of the pretzels)

Instructions:

Proof the yeast. Stir the sugar into the 1 cup of warm water (not boiling, otherwise you'll kill the yeast). Add the yeast and whisk or stir heartily with a fork. Set aside for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, your yeast should develop a thick layer of foam on the top. If your yeast looks the same as when you left it and you don't see any foam, your yeast is dead and you should start over with new yeast.

Make the dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Add in the yeast mixture and stir with a spoon until combined. Then, with your hands, knead the dough for 5 minutes. If you feel that the dough is too sticky to work with, add a little more flour (start with a tablespoon at a time). Once the dough is kneaded, form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 1-2 hours (don't place on top of your oven; it will cook the dough). Your dough ball should double in size.

Once the dough has risen, divide it into 12 equal pieces. Since I am terrible at eyeballing things like this, I used a food scale to get my 12 pieces equal, but it's not required. Roll each of the pieces into a ball, place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Each ball should expand a bit.

While the indiviudal dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, line your baking sheets with parchment paper (I used 2 baking sheets; 6 pretzels on each), and make your baking soda bath. In a mixing bowl, combine the hot water and the baking soda. Stir to dissolve.

Take each dough ball and roll to a length of about 14-18 inches. Form into a pretzel shape. Take each formed pretzel and dunk into the baking soda bath. Place each pretzel on the baking sheet and sprinkle with large, coarse salt.

Bake for 15-20 or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, then dip into your favorite mustard and enjoy!