Oktoberfest Food: Homemade Soft Pretzel Recipe

It’s easy to make soft pretzels with our simple recipe:

Mix 1 package (1/4 oz size) of active-dry yeast with 1 1/2 cups of warm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. (Remember that yeast dies at 120 degrees, so use warm—but not hot— water.)
Combine approximately 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
Check that your yeast mixture is foamy before adding it to the flour and salt mixture. (This is called proofing the yeast.)
Melt 1/2 stick of butter.
Add the melted butter to the mixture. Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, gradually increase the speed to medium and continue to mix until the dough is smooth. If the dough is still sticky after a couple of minutes of mixing, add more flour by the tablespoonful until the dough stops sticking to the side of the bowl. (If you don’t own a stand mixer, just knead the dough by hand. After all, the monks who invented the soft pretzel didn’t have electric mixers!)
When the dough is smooth, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Turn the dough to cover all sides in oil, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dishtowel. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size.
Boil approximately eight cups of water and 1/3 cup of baking soda in a large pot.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Uncover and “punch down” your dough. Place it on a lightly-oiled surface or silicone mat.
Cut the dough into eight pieces, and roll each into a long rope (about a foot in length). Make a “U.” Then cross the two ends over each other, twist, fold back the ends and press to the bottom of the pretzel. If that sounds too complicated, cheat by making party-sized pretzel sticks.
Drop the pretzels in the boiling water and cook for one minute each. This baking soda bath gives the pretzels their unique texture. Use a slotted spoon or large spatula to remove the pretzels from the water, and place on a cooling rack to dry.
Place the pretzels on a lightly-oiled baking sheet. Brush generously with egg wash (1 yolk mixed with a tablespoon of water), sprinkle with pretzel salt and bake until golden brown (approximately 10-15 minutes depending on your oven). While many cooks substitute Kosher salt, real pretzel salt is a special treat. If your supermarket doesn’t sell pretzel salt, it is available online.
Serve your homemade pretzels with an assortment of German mustards or alongside traditional Obatzda (Bavarian Beer Cheese Spread).