Soft Pretzels

A pretzel is a bread pastry of Medieval European (probably Italian) origin, that has the shape of a three looped knot or twisted braid. These pretzels can be made salty or sweet; your choice.

Ingredients

1. 3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2. 2 tablespoons non-diastatic malt powder or 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 1 tablespoon King Arthur Easy-Roll Dough Improver (optional, but helpful)
4. 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 2 teaspoons instant yeast
7. 1 cup (8 ounces) water
8. .
9. For the topping:
10. ================
11. 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) water
12. 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder (or 2 teaspoons sugar)
13. 2 teaspoons baking soda
14. pretzel salt, cinnamon-sugar, or pearl sugar
15. 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter, melted (optional)

Directions

1. Mix and knead the dough ingredients together—by hand, mixer, or machine—till the dough is cohesive and fairly smooth. It should be slightly sticky; if it seems dry, sprinkle it with a tablespoon or two of water. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface, fold it over a few times to gently deflate it, then divide it into six pieces, each weighing about 3 1/4 ounces. Roll each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope.
3. In a shallow bowl, mix together the water, malt (or sugar) and baking soda. Shape each rope into a pretzel, and dip in the baking soda solution; this will help the pretzels brown. Sprinkle with pretzel salt or pearl sugar, if desired, and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oven, brush with melted butter, dip in cinnamon sugar (if desired), and serve warm. Yield: 6 large pretzels.

Notes