pretzels

doughy, warm and salty,
 soft pretzels are a simple
but so delicious comfort
 food that cant be beat. start
with the basic recipe









Ingredients:
2 tbsp warm water plus 1 1/3 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups flour
1/2 cup baking soda, kosher salt
mustard ( as an accompaniment)

Method:
in a large mixing bowl, mix 2 tbsp of warm water with the yeast to dissolve it. then stir in the remaining warm water and brown sugar. place bowl on a mixer and using a dough hook, gradually add in the flour and continue mixing until it forms a ball. turn it out onto a work surface and knead the dough to make it smooth. use enough flour on your work surface so the dough is not sticky.

preheat oven to 475 degrees F

butter 2 sheet pans, bring 2 quarts of water and the baking soda to boil in a large saucepan. cut the dough up into golf ball size pieces and then roll them out into 1/2 inch thick worms. form a U then cross the ends, twisting at the middle. fold the ends back down to meed at the U which is now an O and press to secure the dough. drop it into the boiling water for about 30 seconds and then fish it out and place onto the greased sheet pan. sprinkle with salt. repeat with the rest of the dough, place the baking sheets into the oven for 8 minutes or until golden brown.