Soft Pretzel

Total Time: 16 mins Preparation Time: 1 min Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water (110 f-115 f)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• coarse salt

Recipe

• 1 in a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and warm water, and stir to dissolve the yeast. stir in the sugar and salt. add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough.
• 2 on a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes (the dough will be slightly sticky). place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the top of the dough ball with oil. cover the bowl and let rise in a warm (70°f-80°f) place until it is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• 3 preheat the oven to 425°f punch down the dough and divide it into 6 equal portions. on a lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough portion into a 14" long rope; twist the rope into a pretzel shape---an oval with overlapping ends in the middle. place the pretzel on a lightly greased baking sheet. repeat with the remaining dough portions. brush each pretzel with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt.
• 4 bake the pretzels until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. transfer the pretzels to wire racks to cool slightly.
• 5 variation: whole wheat pretzels: substitute 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for the flour.