Pretzels

These soft baked pretzels are so delicious that it can be hard to stop eating them. Pretzels usually have a recognizable brown color that results from dipping the pretzels in boiling baking soda water that gives the pretzel a chewy crust. This recipe does not call for that step. You could certainly dip these pretzels in the boiling baking soda water before putting them in the oven, but the pretzels were delicious even without that step. I especially enjoyed eating the pretzels fresh out of the oven.

The recipe calls for using bread flour, but I did not have any on hand, so I just used all-purpose flour. Bread flour has a higher gluten content and creates a chewier bread. I found these pretzels to be chewy enough, but may try using bread flour next time. As for the size of the pretzels, I made them so that each one was about the size of a hand, but they could easily be made smaller or larger, depending on your preference.

Pretzels 

• 3 quarts bread flour
• 1 quart water
• 1/2 ounce yeast
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cup butter.

Dissolve the yeast in part of the water. Dissolve the other ingredients, except the butter, in a mixer with the balance of the water. Add the yeast solution. When partially mixed, add butter and mix to a smooth firm dough. Allow the dough 15 to 20 minutes to recover. Divide the dough into one ounce units and roll out each into sticks about 14 inches long. Form each dough stick into a pretzel, pinching the ends into place. Place the pretzel on a greased pan, wash with some welted butter, then proof until double in size. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!