Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 4 cup All-purpose flour
• 5.5 cup Warm water (The source lists 1 1/2 cups initially, with almost 6 additional tablespoons added as needed because the dough was dry; approximately 30 tablespoons total is used here.)
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2.5 tsp Instant yeast
• 4 tbsp Butter (Melted)
• 2.5 qt Water for baking-soda bath
• 0.667 cup Baking soda (Added to the heating water)
• 1 Egg (Scrambled for the egg wash)
• Pretzel salt or coarse sea salt (For sprinkling after the second egg wash)

Steps

1. 1

   Combine the instant yeast, sugar, and warm water in a bowl. The water should be warm but not hot, since overly hot water can kill the yeast.

2. 2

   Let the yeast mixture bloom for 10 to 15 minutes, until a visible layer of foam forms on top, indicating that the yeast is active.

3. 3

   Add the salt and all-purpose flour to the activated yeast mixture. Begin with the stated 4 cups of flour.

4. 4

   Knead the dough by hand or mix it in a stand mixer for about 5 minutes, until everything is incorporated.

5. 5

   Add the melted butter and continue mixing. If the dough is dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time; the source reports adding almost 6 additional tablespoons.

6. 6

   Cover the dough and let it rise until doubled. The source places the covered bowl in an oven with the light on to help it rise faster; the dough in the video did not quite double but was used anyway.

7. 7

   Prepare the baking-soda bath by heating 2.5 quarts of water in a pot and adding the baking soda.

8. 8

   Divide the dough into 6 portions. Work with one portion at a time and stretch it into a long rope.

9. 9

   Shape each rope into a pretzel by twisting it twice and bringing the ends down to form the pretzel shape.

10. 10

    Place each shaped pretzel into the baking-soda bath for about 20 seconds. Remove it once it starts floating.

11. 11

    Transfer the dipped pretzels to a baking sheet and brush them with the scrambled egg wash.

12. 12

    Bake at 450°F for 6 minutes.

13. 13

    Remove the pretzels from the oven and apply a second layer of egg wash. Sprinkle coarse sea salt or pretzel salt over the tops.

14. 14

    Return the pretzels to the 450°F oven and bake for 6 additional minutes, until done.

15. 15

    Serve the finished pretzels warm. The source served them with queso cheese for dipping.

Notes

The transcript does not specify an exact dough-rise time or the pretzels' final visual doneness beyond the stated baking schedule. The source mentions serving the pretzels with queso cheese for dipping, but does not provide a queso recipe.

Nutrition per serving

• snack
• baked
• vegetarian
• American
• soft pretzel
• yeast dough
• party food