Fresh Soft Pretzels - Big D's 25th Recipes

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 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. 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 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 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.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). 
4. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
5. 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 all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and form on a greased baking sheet. (optional to spray with butter flavored cooking spray before you salt them) Sprinkle with kosher salt.
6. Bake in preheated oven for until browned. *watch them closely the first couple of pans so you can figure out what works best for your oven.

 TIPS:

We found it to be quite hard to keep a consistent size, color and smoothness to the pretzels we made for D's birthday (we made over 3 batches...so...many...pretzels!), but by the end we figured out what made the best out of all the batches.

Here's what we learned....

• Grease the pan!
• Use a rack that's up higher in the oven to prevent burning of the pretzels bottoms. 
• The baking soda bath burns a black residue onto your pans...line with tinfoil for easy clean up.
•  Do not dip the dough in the Baking Soda bath for longer than 10 seconds...they get too soggy and just don't turn out as well.
• A good way to divide the dough is by rolling it out in a long, flat rectangle with your rolling pin, then cut long strips with a knife.
• be sure to roll each strip with your hands so that it is rounded and not square like a few of ours turned out!

A lot of people tend to be puzzled about the dunking into a baking soda and water mixture....Simply put, without it, they won't have that wonderful golden brown color. 

Just whatever you do, don't put it into the actual dough!

Hot Mustard Dip

• 1/4 cup ground mustard
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons honey

1. In a small saucepan, combine mustard and vinegar; let stand for 30 minutes. 
2. Whisk in the sugar and egg yolk until smooth. 
3. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture just begins to simmer and is thickened, about 7 minutes. 
4. Remove from the heat; whisk in honey. Chill. Serve with pretzels. Store in the refrigerator. 

Original recipe source: Butter Soft Pretzels

Hot Mustard Dip