Soft Pretzel Dough

I made "bites" and a couple regular pretzels

I love soft sweet pretzels.  I will probably increase the sugar the next time so they are even sweeter.  They were still pretty savory.  I was surprised at how easy these were.

Ingredients:

1 ½  cups warm water (around 110 – 115 degrees F)
¼ cup light brown sugar (if you like less sweet dough, decrease)
1 package active dry yeast
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 ½  teaspoons kosher salt
4 ½  to 5 cups flour (I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat and they turned out great, not heavy)
oil
2 quarts water
½ cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten + 1 tablespoon cold water
Coarse sea salt

Directions:

Combine the water, sugar and yeast in a bowl – if using a stand mixer, mix with the dough hook, until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast has proofed.  Add the butter and salt on low speed.  Once mixed, add the flour 1 cup at a time mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, approx. 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour in small increments. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands – do not add more flour.

Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Spray a cookie sheet with oil.  Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope and shape – cut to make pieces, or shape into traditional pretzels. Bring the water to a boil in a large stock pot over high heat and add the baking soda slowly (Note: I learned the hard way that it can boil over.)  Boil the pretzels in the water solution in small enough batches that they can move freely. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzels on the cookie sheet so they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.  Remove to a cooling rack and let cool 5 minutes before eating.