Big, Chewy Pretzels

Ever since visiting the tiny northern German island of Fohr three years ago, it's been somewhat of a dream of mine to live there and open a bakery.  Every morning at 5 am, my wife and her grandfather would walk down the street to purchase that day's eggs and rolls for breakfast.  The bakeries are no fuss, just excellent bread and pastries.  The fancy part of me still dreams of opening a French patisserie, with its buttery croissants, delicate eclairs, and perfect tarts, piled high with fruit and custard.  But there's something enticing about a bakery that simply turns out a solid loaf of bread, nothing fancy to distract from the art of good baking.  And there's one other thing that adds some points to the German column: the pretzel.

I am a big fan of the warm, chewy pretzel, sprinkled with just the right amount of salt.  No need for mustard (though it does not hurt), just bite after bite of the perfect pillowy comfort food.  The Germans make them in long sticks; in fact, you can buy them as a roll to fill with cheese and salami if you wish.  But I like the American twist (literally).  It makes it look like you spent a lot more time than you really did, and I'm always a fan of that.

The concept of a pretzel is pretty much the same as a bagel.  It's a yeast dough that you boil before baking, creating a golden, crispy exterior and chewy interior.  But the addition of butter makes the pretzel just that much more decadent, almost a cross between a bagel and a brioche.  And while I probably won't be opening up that bakery on Fohr anytime soon, I can make these anytime, freeze them, and toast them up whenever the mood strikes.  

Big, chewy pretzels
Makes 8 pretzels

For the dough:
1 1/2 c warm water      
1 T sugar
2 t kosher salt
2 1/4 t active dry yeast
4 1/2 c flour
4 T unsalted butter, melted
oil

For the bath:
10 c water
2/3 c baking soda

To finish:
1  egg yolk beaten 
1 T water
kosher salt

Combine the warm water, sugar, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Sprinkle the yeast on top.  Let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.  Add the flour and melted butter.  With the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined.  Change to medium speed, kneading until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 4 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, clean it and then oil it well.  Return the dough to the bowl.  Cover and let sit in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Lightly brush with the oil.  Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil in large pot.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/2 ounces each.  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 to make a pretzel shape.  Place onto the prepared pans.

Beat egg yolk and water together.  Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 at a time, for 30 seconds.  Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula.  Return to the cookie sheets, brush the top of each pretzel with egg yolk mixture.  Sprinkle with the kosher salt.

Bake until dark golden brown in color, about 14 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.