Soft Pretzels

Absolutely delicious, just like the ones from football games and other events. Also much easier to make than previously suspected.

• 4.5 cups flour
• 1 packet yeast (not pizza dough yeast or fast rise)
• 1tsp sugar
• 2tsp salt
• 2oz butter
• 1.5 cups warm water
• egg yolk
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• ~10 cups water
• vegetable oil

Mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl and wait ~5 minutes for the mixture to get foamy. Thoroughly mix in the flour, butter (completely melted), and salt. Remove the dough and oil the bowl, put the dough back, and wait ~1hour for the dough to double in size.

After the dough has doubled in size, fill a large (diameter, not depth) saucepan with ~10 cups of water and the 2/3 cup of baking soda and wait for it to come to a boil. Preheat the oven to 450F. Cut the dough into 8-10 equal sized pieces, and roll those into ropes ~1.5ft long. Fold these into whatever shape you desire, and place them in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Place them onto an oiled pan and brush with an egg yolk & water mixture. Salt as desired. Bake for 12-14 minutes, let rest on a wire rack until cool.