Buttery Soft Pretzels

Place warm water, salt, sugar, and instant yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to dissolve the yeast. Add flour and mix just until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed, for about 5 minutes, until soft, smooth, and quite slack (you may need to add a tiny bit more warm water at this point). Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with 2 teaspoons melted butter, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes.

While dough is resting, prepare the topping. Combine boiling water and baking soda, stirring until soda is dissolved. Pour mixture into a 9-inch square baking pan and set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Preheat oven to 475°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.

Transfer dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Allow pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Working with one piece at a time, roll each segment of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Do this by first making a U-shape with the rope. Then, hold the ends of the rope and cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the U-shape.

Working with 4 pretzels at a time, place them in the 9-inch baking pan with the baking soda and water, spooning the water over their tops. Leave them in the water for 1–2 minutes and then flip them over and allow to soak for 1–2 minutes more.

Transfer the pretzels to the prepared baking sheet. Brush them with the egg wash and then sprinkle them with coarse or flaked sea salt. Allow to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake pretzels for 9–10 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Remove pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with remaining melted butter—this gives the pretzels their perfect taste.

Enjoy warm!

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour