1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 cups regular flour
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups water (for boiling the pretzel)
2 tablespoons baking soda
Cinnamon sugar,
4 tablespoons butter, melted
In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water (if you tend to kill the yeast with hot water like do, then use water right from the tap. The yeast will take longer to froth up, but at least you know you’ve not killed it). Add sugar, and stir to dissolve.
Add flour and salt and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise for 40-60 minutes at least.
Shaping the dough: Divide the dough into 6-7 parts and then roll it out. Make sure to keep both the ends thinner than the rest of it since both the ends are going to be tied together an will become thicker eventually. Also, make sure that you roll them out thin, not more than ½ an inch in diameter, because they will swell up twice – once after the water bath and then when it’s baking.
Next, boil the two water and add the baking soda. Drop the pretzels in the water bath and let it stay in for about 5 seconds. Make sure the stove is still on. After the pretzel is removed from the water bath, make sure to dry the excess liquid on it on a kitchen towel before placing on the baking sheet/silpat/baking stone. Below is a comparison of how the pretzel looks before and after a water bath.
Place the pretzels on a baking sheet and brush with a lightly beaten egg. Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C/450°F oven for ten minutes or until golden. Let cool on a wire rack. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle the sugar cinnamon all over it. Don’t be shy, make sure to coat both sides and every nook and cranny!
