Homemade Soft Pretzels

I made these pretzels this weekend and was very impressed!  They were so easy to make and were perfect;  great taste and a fluffy texture.  Oh, and on top of that, they were done within 30 minutes. That’s right, toasty warm soft pretzels ready in a half hour!  We served them with beer cheese fondue dip for a little get together we hosted – it was phenomenal!  The recipe made quite a few, so I’ll cut it in half if I’m making them just for the two of us.  Regardless, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be making these again! Soft Pretzels (from Sally’s Baking Addiction)

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
  
• 1 packet active yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 4 – 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1 large egg
• course sea salt for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees and line one (or two depending on how big you make your pretzels) baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add warm water to a bowl and sprinkle yeast over top.  Mix with a whisk until dissolved (there might be a few clumps, that’s okay!).
3. Add salt and sugar and mix.
4. Add the flour, one cup at a time until the dough is no longer sticky (I used just over 4 cups); it helps if the flour has been sifted or mixed with a whisk first.  A wooden spoon was perfect for this.
5. Knead the dough for 5 minutes on a floured surface and shape into a ball.
6. Using a knife; cut dough into sections about 1/4 cup in size.  Using 1/4 cup sized sections, I ended up with 14 soft pretzels (wondering why there are only 11 in the picture?  We got a little eager and dove in as soon as they were out of the oven…oops!)
7. Roll each section into a rope – mine were 17-19 inches long.  Shape into a pretzel.
8. Whisk the egg in a shallow bowl.  Dip each pretzel into the egg and place on parchment paper.  Sprinkle with salt.
9. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn oven to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes until top is golden brown – be sure to watch it so they don’t burn!