Making Soft Pretzels

My one pregnancy craving this go around has been those soft pretzels you buy at the mall.  I love them.  They are delicious.



I'm pretty proud to say I've only bought them 3 times during this pregnancy.  That's only once every couple of months.



But I decided to try making them, and I found this recipe on All Recipes.  With 1,321 reviews and five stars, how could I go wrong?



Interesting factoid about bagels: you have to bathe the dough in a strongly alkaline solution to give them that distinct "bagel" taste.



Germans used to (or still do?) use lye, but you can also just use baking soda and water - that's what I did.



They were terrific.  If you have a craving for mall pretzels, go buy some - because these took forever to make.

 

But if you have a craving for mall pretzels and you (a)--can't afford them or (b)--don't have a way to get to the mall, then make these!  They were great.

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 - 4 cups all-purpose flour (add flour gradually until you have enough)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together part of the 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, kneading and adding more flour until consistency is smooth and elastic.  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.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and drop into the baking soda water.  Once the dough rises to the top of the water, remove it, shape it into a pretzel, and place on a greased, parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.  Coat with melted butter.