Soft Pretzels

Total Time: 2 hrs 35 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg

Recipe

• 1 place the milk in a small saucepan. heat over medium-low heat until warm, about 110°f on an instant-read thermometer. remove from the heat.
• 2 combine 1 tablespoon of the oil with the yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
• 3 pour in the warm milk and stir until the yeast and sugar are dissolved.
• 4 let rest until slightly thickened and foamy, about 5 minutes.
• 5 add the flour and the salt to the yeast mixture, stirring well until all the flour is mixed inches.
• 6 place the dough on an unfloured work surface and knead until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• 7 grease a large mixing bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat lightly with the oil. cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• 8 position the oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 400°f
• 9 beat the egg in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
• 10 remove the dough from the bowl and use a rolling pin to roll it out onto an unfloured surface into a 12 by 10-inch rectangle. cut the dough in half both vertically and horizontally, so that you end up with 4 rectangles of equal size.
• 11 roll 1 piece between your hands and the surface to form a long, thin roll (like a snake), about 3/4-inch in diameter and 14 inches long. (note: if the dough becomes too dry to work and will not stretch, wet your hands slightly and then try rolling it again.).
• 12 bring the ends up to form a u shape and cross 1 end over the other at the top. bring the ends down and across each other as though making a bow and press down on the ends to seal.
• 13 place the formed pretzel on a large ungreased baking sheet keeping the pretzels at least 2 inches apart. cover the pretzels lightly with a damp clean kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 5 minutes or until the dough has relaxed slightly. uncover and, using your hands, gently pick pretzels up and stretch the dough slightly. cover and let rest for 5 additional minutes, then repeat the stretching procedure.
• 14 bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.