I love soft pretzels. I eat about a dozen of these a week.
ingredients:
1 pack yeast
1 cup flour
4 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons cooking oil
rough ground salt
1 egg wisked with tblspn cold water.
preheat oven to 450
medium-sized pot of boiling water
In medium bowl combine warm water, sugar and yeast- stir gently and put bowl aside 15-20 minutes until foamy at the top.
after foamy top combine 1 cup flour and wisk until smooth.
In large bowl combine 4 cups flour, pinch of salt and warm water yeast mixture. knead on floured surface until smooth, place in well oiled large bowl and cover the top. Let sit until doubled in size (25-35 minutes)
After dough has risen, knead until smooth and cut into 12 equal sized balls. Roll balls into ropes and shape rope sections into pretzel form. Place on well oiled cookie pan and cover for 15 minutes. After 15 minute rise time dunk pretzels into boiling water for 1 minute and replace onto cookie pan- baste pretzels with egg and water mixture and shake rough ground salt over the tops- cook in 450 degree oven until golden brown (25-35 minutes- watch them toward the end and remove when golden browned).
The boiling water gives that crunchy-chewy consistency.
I remove the pretzels from the oven a little early and let them cool, then put them in the freezer to enjoy later.
5 minutes in a toaster oven will make the frozen pretzels golden brown and taste fresh out of the oven. My family loves this recipe and they keep telling me I should open a stand. I have experimented with this recipe by using hot beer instead of water with the yeast- damn good! I've also used apple juice and substituted olive oil for cooking oil in the bowl. Also great tasting!
Good luck- any questions just let me know.
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