German Soft Pretzel Sticks
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- Water
- 2 envelopes active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 3/4 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
- Flaky salt, such as Maldon
- Yellow mustard, for serving
- In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar into 2 cups of warm water until dissolved.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the vegetable oil and 3 cups of the flour.
- Knead in the remaining 2 3/4 cups of flour; the dough will be slightly sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until silky, about 3 minutes; if the dough is very sticky, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour.
- Transfer the dough to an large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450.
- Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.
- Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured work surface.
- Knead the dough lightly, flatten it out and cut it into 24 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a 9-inch stick about 1/2 inch thick.
- Transfer the sticks to the prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between them.
- Let stand uncovered until puffed, about 25 minutes.
- In a large, deep skillet, stir the baking soda into 2 quarts of water and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to moderate.
- Using 2 slotted spoons, carefully transfer 6 pretzel sticks at a time to the simmering water 30 seconds, turning once; add about 1 cup of hot water after before cooking the second batch of pretzels.
- Transfer the pretzel sticks to paper towels to drain, then return them to the cookie sheets, spacing them evenly.
- Brush the pretzel sticks with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake until richly browned, about 10 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, with mustard.
light brown sugar, water, active dry yeast, vegetable oil, flour, baking soda, egg, flaky salt, yellow mustard
Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/german-soft-pretzel-sticks (may not work)