Homemade Soft Pretzels

1: Combine all dough ingredients except for butter. Knead until no dry spots remain. Then incorporate the butter and knead until smooth.

2: Shape the dough into a ball, place it into a bowl, cover, and let it proof for 1-2 hours or until almost doubled in size.

3: Divide the dough into 6 equal sections and shape them into balls. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

4: Doing one at a time, shape each dough ball into a long rope as shown in the video. Mine was roughly 28 inches long but this is up to you. Longer will yield skinnier pretzels, shorter will yield thicker pretzels. If the dough retracts during rolling, let it rest for a few minutes and try again.

5: Place the shaped pretzels onto individual sheets of parchment paper (this makes transferring easier), cover and proof for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until they are noticeably puffy.

6: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Meanwhile, in a well-ventilated area, whisk the water and lye together in a large metal or plastic container until the solution turns clear. Using gloves, submerge each pretzel into the lye bath for a couple of seconds, then transfer the pretzel onto a lined baking sheet.

7: Score each pretzel and top with coarse pretzel salt.

8: Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pretzels are a deep golden brown color.