Ingredients:
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm up water
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
Kosher salt for topping
Directions:
1.In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in 1 1/4 cup of warm water. Let it stand until liquid gets thick and creamy on the top, around 5 minutes.
2. Place dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, 5 c flour, 1/2 c sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Mix together before adding the liquid ingredients.
3.Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add 1 tablespoon oil to the yeast mixture, then pour into the dry ingredients. Turn on mixing machine, mix well.
4.Add 1 table spoon of water at a time to mixture if on the dryer side. You want a slightly sticky dough. Once the dough ingredients are well combined, turn off mixer, roll into a big ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Coat ball with oil from the bowl, roll it around in the bowl a bit. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 1 hour or when nearly doubled in size.
5.Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F
6.Once the dough is done rising, begin weighing the balls of dough. My preferred size is around 2.15oz per pretzel, you could make them smaller or bigger.
7.When you are finished weighing the balls roll each out into a rope then twist into a knot or pretzel shape.
8.Once finished making the shapes, pour hot, NOT boiling, water into a big bowl and dissolve 1/2 c baking soda. Now, dip one at a time into the water. I dab off the excess water on the bottom of the prezel before placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
9.Lightly sprinkle some salt over each pretzel following their dip in the pool. 😉
It should make roughly 12 pretzels, depends on the size you choose.
10.Bake for 8 minutes, turn the cookie sheets around at the halfway point. After turning the cookie sheets around, switch top to bottom levels.
Remember, you can always make adjustments to any recipe. I make them a bit healthier by subbing in some whole wheat flour, reducing the sugar amount, etc. I generally, don’t like using sugar, I may try using pure maple syrup next time.
Eat within one to two days or freeze.