Recipe of the Week

Soft Pretzels

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 8 pretzels

Ingredients

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine water with yeast and sugar and let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add to the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until dough forms. With your hands, continue to work in flour mixture until a ball forms.
3. Turn dough out onto a flour-dusted work surface, and knead to make a smooth sticky dough, about 8 minutes.
4. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the baking soda to it, and stir well.
6. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, about 18–20″ long. Twist each piece into a pretzel shape and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. With a slotted spatula, transfer pretzels into boiling water, 3 at a time, and parboil for 3 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Drain on a cooling rack, then transfer back to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat for remaining pretzels.
8. Make an egg wash by beating 1 egg with 1 T water. Brush the egg wash generously over each pretzel and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
9. Bake for 25 minutes. Brush immediately with melted butter (if desired).

Optional toppings:

Substitute one of these variations for the sea salt:
Cinnamon-sugar: Sprinkle with a combination of ½ cup sugar and 1 t cinnamon.
Parmesan-garlic: Sprinkle with a combination of ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and 1 t garlic salt.
Poppy seed: Sprinkle with poppy seeds and coarse sea salt.
Sesame seed: Sprinkle with sesame seeds and coarse sea salt.

Sweet-Spicy Dijonnaise Dipping Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Makes: ½ cup

Ingredients

Directions

1. Whisk all ingredients together. Serve immediately with soft pretzels.