Soft Pretzels - similar to the movie theatres.

As soon as you walk into the theatre the first thing you smell is popcorn. Have you ever stood there long enough to smell the pretzels? Those big delicious smelling pretzels? Well here is a recipe that is very similar to those. They are quite time consuming, yet very simple to make, and worth the effort.

During this attempt, these pretzels were created with rock salt as its final coating. However I will attempt them again one day using less salt within the recipe and with variations, such as; sesame seeds, cheese, and anything else that comes to mind for the coating.

Soft Pretzels   -(Makes 16)
(Oven 350)

Ingredients:

• 4 - 4 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 pkg of dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp salt 
• 2 quartz of water
• 1 slightly beaten egg white
• Coarse salt, or sesame seeds..(or anything you want as a coating)

Step 1:
Combine 2 cups of flour & yeast (room temperature works best) in a bowl.
Heat milk, sugar, oil and 1 1/2 tsp salt in saucepan until warm (115-1120 degrees); stir constantly. Add to flour mixture.
Beat on low for 1/2 minute, then on high for 3 mins while adding more flour. Once the beater gets hard, knead the remaining flour by hand until the dough becomes moderately stiff, smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, rolling once. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Step 2:
Punch dough down, and cover for another 10 minutes.

Step 3:
Divide dough into 16 sections. Roll each section into a long rope (approx 16" long). Shape into pretzels. Moisten and press ends to seal. Let rise, uncovered for 20 minutes.
Step 4:
Dissolve 3 Tbsp salt (I found this to be too much) in boiling water. Add 2-3 pretzels at a time & boil for 2 minutes, turning once. Remove and place on paper towel for a few seconds then place on VERY well greased pan **(They tend to stick to the pan during the baking process, be generous with the greasing!!).

Step 5:
Brush with the egg white and 1 Tbsp water mixture. Sprinkle with desired coating. And bakeat 350, for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.