Really Soft Pretzels

Happy National Pretzel Day my friends! I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe inspired by the Food Network. These things are just so dang good! If you like Auntie Anne pretzels, you are going to love these! These are best when eaten fresh out of the oven.

Be sure to make the dipping sauce. These pretzels are delicious all by themselves, but the sauce just takes them to a whole new level.

My daughter made homemade beer cheese and she gave us some. I heated it for 10 seconds in the microwave and dipped one of the pretzels from my second batch today (this recipe makes 6 pretzels). It was soooo good! Thanks Baby Girl:)!

Soft Pretzel Ingredients:

1 cup milk warmed to 110° F (240 grams)

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (7 grams)

3 tablespoons light brown sugar (42 grams)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (280 grams) plus more for kneading

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and softened (28 grams) -This is for the dough.

1 teaspoon fine kosher salt

1/3 cup baking soda (78 grams)

3 cups very hot tap water

2 tablespoons coarse salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (140 grams)-This is for greasing baking sheet and dipping pretzels in after they are baked.

Instructions for Pretzels:

Place warm milk in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit for 2 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup of the flour and the brown sugar with a wooden spoon.

Stir in the 2 tablespoons softened butter.

Add in the remaining flour and teaspoon of fine salt.

Stir into a sticky dough.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and a little tacky (for about 5 minutes and add a little more flour if needed).

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the bowl you mixed the dough in. Shape dough into a ball and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

This is my dough after raising for 1 hour

While dough is raising; preheat oven to 450°F.

Melt 10 tablespoons of butter. This will be for brushing on the bottom of your baking sheet and dipping your pretzels in when they come out of the oven. I like to make brown butter, but it isn’t necessary.

After your dough has risen, press it down to deflate, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough into 6 even pieces (I like to use my kitchen scale for this. My pieces are around 100 grams each). You don’t need to be so precise, it’s just my preference:).

I like to let the dough rest for about 5 minutes. It helps the gluten relax and makes rolling and stretching them easier.

While the dough is relaxing, place the baking powder in a shallow bowl and add very warm tap water. You are going to gently dip your pretzels in this after you shape them and before you put them on the baking sheet.

Roll and stretch the dough with your hands to 30″. I measure and mark my counter with blue painter’s tape. This helps me have a guide in this process.

Hold the ends and slap on the counter as you stretch it. Fold over into a pretzel shape. Delicious Everything Pretzels. Gently dip into baking soda solution and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Remove pretzels from oven and dip in butter. Place on baking sheet topped with a cooling rack.