Best Homemade Soft Pretzel Twists Recipe

Ingredients :

• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm– no need to take temperature but around 100°F (38°C) is great)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
• 3 and 3/4-4 cups (469-500g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
• coarse salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling
• Baking Soda Bath (See Recipe Note)
• 1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
• 9 cups (2.13L) water

Instructions :

• Whisk the yeast into the water that is heated. Sit for one minute before proceeding. Stir in the melted butter, salt, and brown sugar using a whisk. Gradually incorporate three cups of flour, one cup at a time. Till the dough reaches the desired consistency, stir it with a wooden spoon (or a dough hook linked to a stand mixer).
• Until the dough is no longer sticky, add an additional three-quarters cup of flour. It is necessary to add an additional quarter to half cup if it is still sticky. You can test the dough by poking it with your finger; if it returns to you, it is ready to be kneaded.
• Get the dough to knead: Remain the dough in the mixer and continue to beat it for a further five minutes. Alternatively, you can knead it by hand on a surface that has been lightly dusted with flour for five minutes. (If you are new to baking bread, my video tutorial on how to knead dough can be of assistance to you in this regard.)

• During the process of kneading the dough, if it becomes too sticky, sprinkle one teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough, on the work surface, or in the bowl. This will result in a dough that is soft and somewhat tacky.
• In order to avoid having a dough that is dry, you should avoid adding more flour than is required. The dough should still have a slightly pliable texture after it has been kneaded. You may test the readiness of your dough to rise by poking it with your finger and seeing if it slowly bounces back.
• You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Put it in front of a light source or a window.
• Would it be possible for light to travel through the stretched dough without the dough first tearing? In that case, your dough has been kneaded for an adequate amount of time and is set to rise. In that case, continue to knead it until it is able to pass the windowpane test.

• Form the dough that has been kneaded into a ball. After allowing it to rest for ten minutes, cover it just a little bit with a cloth. (In the meantime, I like to bring the water and baking soda to a boil in accordance with the instructions in step 6.)
  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius).
• Make sure that two baking sheets are lined with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper. It is strongly advised that silicone baking mats be used instead of parchment paper. It is recommended to lightly coat the parchment paper with nonstick spray or grease it with butter before using it. Put aside for later.
• With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/3 cup sections (about 75g each).

• Form the dough into a rope that is between 20 and 22 inches long. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the two ends together at the top of the circle. Combine the two ends by twisting them together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.
• Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste.
• Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking in step 7.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce.
• Cover and store leftover pretzels at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds, or bake at 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.