Directions

• 1
  Combine yeast and warm water in mixer bowl, let sit for a few minutes and then stir until yeast is dissolved.
• 2
  Add salt, sugar, and butter to liquid and stir to combine. Add 2 ½ cups of flour to liquid and knead in mixer with the dough hook. Add the remaining ½ to ¾ cup of flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is smooth and forms a ball.
• 3
  When the dough is smooth, place it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm location. It should double in size.
• 4
  Preheat the oven to 450 F.
• 5
  Once the dough has doubled in size, turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece out into about a 20 inch rope. Form a circle with and twist the ends around one another allowing for about 2 inches of tail on each end. Then fold the ends back over the opposite end and attach to form the pretzel shape. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rest.
• 6
  Heat 8 cups of water in a large pot until boiling. Add baking soda and stir. Lower pretzels, as many as will fit without crowding, into the pot. Simmer for 15 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to flip the pretzels over and simmer for another 15 seconds. Return boiled pretzels to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pretzels.
• 7
  Sprinkle pretzels with salt and bake until they are browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the pretzels from the oven and immediately brush them with melted butter. Yield is 8 pretzels.