Pretzels

No-Knead pretzels dough can be made in advance and then molded and bake when needed.

2 packages dry active yeast
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water 
1/4 cup sugar 
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened 
1 egg 
6-6½ cups all-purpose flour 
 
Egg Wash 
1 egg 
1 tablespoon water 
  coarse salt
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water in a medium-size bowl. Add the sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat this with an electric mixer until it is smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour, a cup at a time, to make a stiff dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and form it into a smooth ball. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for four to six hours.

 After it has almost doubled in bulk, punch down the dough and divided it in half. Keeping the remaining dough covered with a cloth as you work, cut off walnut sized pieces and roll into 8-inch ropes and form into pretzel shape pressing the where the dough intersects to flatten it. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and let rise for about thirty minutes.

 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water together to make the egg wash, then brush each pretzel with the wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for twelve o fifteen minutes or until golden.
 

 2010  Nathan Krämer  Blair, Nebraska   http://www.nathankramer.com/cookbook/