Black Pepper Soft Pretzels

For the dough:
Combine the 1 1/2 cups water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then grease it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush the paper with vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

Beat the egg yolk with the 1 tablespoon of water, set aside.

While the water is heating, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Alternatively for pretzel bites, instead of shaping each rope, cut 1” sections off the rope and continue as directed below.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, and cook each for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large slotted spatula and return each to the pan. Repeat boiling the rest of the pretzels. Then brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt and pepper. Bake at 450 F until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.