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A good New York City street pretzel is large, soft, chewy and salty.

Inspired by Let the Great World Spin

Prep time: 1 1/2 hours  Cook time: 12-15 minutes   Yield: 8 large pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 10 cups water
• kosher salt, to sprinkle over pretzels

Instructions 

1. In large bowl of mixer, fitted with dough hook, combine water, sugar and kosher salt. Sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes until the mixture begins to foam. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and oil. Beat for about 3 minutes. Batter should be smooth. Gradually stir in remaining flour until soft dough forms (it’s okay if you don’t use all of the remaining flour.) Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead about 5 minutes until dough is smooth and satiny. Place dough in a greased bowl. Roll dough around to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel and let rise for about an hour in a warm, draft-free place until double in size.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F.  Place parchment paper over two large baking sheets.   Set aside.
3. Punch down dough, turn out onto a floured surface, and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball by gently kneading.  Dust palms with flour, then, using palms, roll each ball out into a smooth rope about 24 inches long. Twist into a pretzel shape by making a u-shape with each rope and crossing ends. Place pretzels on prepared baking sheets turning loose ends underneath. Be sure that pretzels are not touching and have room to expand. Let rise for about 25 minutes, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place until puffy.
4. While pretzels are rising, add baking soda to 10 cups of water in an 8-quart pot.  Bring to full boil.  With a large slotted spoon, place a single pretzel into the pot. Allow pretzel to simmer for 10 seconds on each side. Remove pretzel, shake off excess water and return to baking sheet. Sprinkle kosher salt on boiled pretzel (don’t be chintzy with the salt) while the next pretzel is boiling. Repeat until all pretzels have been boiled and sprinkled with kosher salt. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown.  Cool pretzels slightly on a wire rack to keep from becoming soggy.  Served warm with your favorite mustard!

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Appetizers  This post is filed under : plain and savory  

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