Philadelphia Style Soft Pretzels

Philly soft pretzels are a hit all over the country.

 They are very easy to make and delicious.
Hint: you can buy frozen bread dough, thaw it and use that instead of making your own bread dough.

 Here is the recipe I have used. I used to make them by the dozens for the kids every week. I also use this for pizza dough.
Also if you don't shape them into pretzels, they are bagels.
 I won't swear to it, but I think I used to use this recipe for Elephant Ears also. You just deep fry the dough in Elephant ear shapes, then dip in powdered sugar as a dessert.

5 cups of flour

1 tsp of sugar

4 tsp of active yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil

4 cups hot water

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup of warm  (110F) water to dissolve the yeast

1/2 cup of baking soda.

Coarse salt or Kosher salt.

dissolve the yeast and one teaspoon of sugar in the 1 and 1/4 cups of warm water and let stand until it is creamy. This might take 10 mins.

In another bowl, mix your flour, 1/2 cup of sugar and the salt.

Make a well in the center of the flour and add in the oil and yeast mixture.

Form this into a bread dough.

You can add water if its too dry by Tablespoon fulls of water. Be careful.

Knead the dough for about 8 minutes or so and form into a ball. Coat lightly with oil and then wrap the bowl over with Plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

This takes about an hour.

In a bowl, dissolve your baking soda in 4 cups of hot water and set that aside.

Turn the risen flour onto a floured boards and divide up to form your pretzels. Roll pieces into ropes and twist into pretzel shape. (this can be confusing sometimes but, you will get the hang of it).
Now dip each pretzel into the baking soda water..this helps keep inside soft, outside crispy.
Place on a greased baking sheet.

You can sprinkle it with coarse salt or not as you like.

Bake in preheated 450F oven about 8 mins.

They should be golden brown outside. 

In Philly they are eaten with mustard on them!

  

You can put anything on top before you bake them.

Poppy seeds, Sesame seeds, kosher salt dried onion, Caraway seeds.. whatever you like.

 

Cross posted at  Rock & Roll Cafe