Bryan’s Pretzel Recipe.
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup water (100-110F)
4 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp salt
3 ¼ cup King Arthur bread flour
2 tablespoons baking soda
6 cup water
1 egg yolk
salt (Kosher coarse works well)
-In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 tbsp brown sugar with 1 cup hot (about 100F) water until dissolved. Add yeast and stir gently. Let sit 5 min or so.
-Add melted butter and 3 tbsp brown sugar. Stir.
-Add flour.
-I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer on low for 8 minutes. You can also knead for 8-10 minutes.
-Dough should be moist, but not stick to sides of the Kitchen Aid mixing bowl.
-Place dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Here you have choices:
1) Want to eat today? Let rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
2) Let sit overnite in refrigerator, then rise at room temp for 2 hours
-Turn out dough and punch down to flatten.
-Cut in to pieces (I do 8) and roll in to a coil, and make your shapes.
-Put pretzels on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper (or butter the cookie sheets). Here, you can let the pretzel rise again for 10 min. if you want.
-Preheat oven to 475 (I use a convection oven)
-Heat the baking soda and water in a medium pan to a boil, then lower heat. --Place pretzels a couple at a time in to the water bath for 1 minute, then put back on baking sheet. Let stand for 5 min.
-Brush the egg yolk on to the pretzel and sprinkle with salt.
-Bake for 9-12 minutes.