by special request...

a fantastic pretzel recipe. these were so ridiculously. if you don't have a pastry brush, may i suggest using a misto or even pam before you throw the pretzels in the oven. also, i kept my pretzels in the oven a bit longer (an extra 5-7 minutes) than the recipe suggests to make sure they were nice and brown on the outside, but my oven is usually a bit slow. try it! it's easier than it sounds!!!

delicious pretzels (slightly altered from alton brown's recipe)

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 T sugar
• 2 t. salt
• 1 package active dry yeast (don't be afraid)
• 22 oz. flour (about 4 1/2 c.)
• vegetable oil (for coating pan)
• 10 c. water
• 2/3 c. baking soda [I made these once in a baking soda bath, and once in just regular salted water, and it worked either way. If you have it use it, if not, don't worry!]
  
• 1 large egg yolk beaten w/ 1 T water
• pretzel or coarse salt

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. [Note: I hand-kneaded this and it didn't take long at all, so if you don't have a stand mixer, mixing this dough together isn't nearly as daunting as it sounds.] Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed [or hand knead!] until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes [or 10]. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture (or pam/misto) and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes