Categories: snacks
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups warm water (lukewarm, no need to take temperature)
- 1 packet active yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 4 - 4.25 cups all-purpose flour + more for the counter surface to knead (or mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour)
- 1 large egg (you could use just the egg white if you prefer)
- course sea salt for sprinkling
Directions
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Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir with a spoon until fairly mixed, about 1 minute. Some clusters of yeast will remain. Add salt and sugar; stir until fairly combined. Slowly add flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough is thick. Continue to add more flour until dough is no longer sticky. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
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Knead the dough for about 5 minutes and shape into a ball. Pinch off however much dough you want to use for the pretzels. This is a trial and error process – you might find you want to make larger pretzels or smaller.
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Roll the dough into a rope with an even diameter. Once you have your long rope, take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle.
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Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape. Or, tie them into little knots and tuck the ends into the dough.
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In a small bowl, beat the egg and pour into a shallow bowl or pie dish. Dunk the shaped pretzel into the egg wash (both sides).
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Place on baking sheet.
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Bake for 10 minutes at 425F degrees. Turn the oven to broil and bake for 2-5 more minutes to brown the tops. Watch closely to avoid burning.
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Once they’re browned, take them out and rub butter on them. You can use a stick of butter and rub it directly or melt butter and use a basting brush to apply. Once the butter is on, sprinkle with salt.
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Allow to cool and enjoy. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pretzels may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 4 days (will lose softness). Pretzels freeze well.
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*If you’d like to make cinnamon sugar pretzels, mix 1 Tablespoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar and coat pretzels instead of using salt.