After 3 tries, I finally did it. It finally happened! I baked bread. It actually took me two tries tonight to get it right. The first time I didn’t add enough flour, so the dough was very very wrong (sticky and not dry enough). Then, I tried again and it was perfect! I now know what dough is supposed to really feel like.
Last week, I wrote about my fear of my kitchenaid mixer. That same day, I was looking on various websites and found a recipe for Alton Brown’s Soft Pretzels. I bookmarked it and tried to make them that same night. No luck. I don’t know if I had old yeast, or I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, but it didn’t foam like it was supposed to.
Since this was my first time eating bread fresh out of the oven, I was blown away. I now understand why people bake their own bread. No matter how fresh store-bought bread is, it’s never as good as the one you make at home. Now, this makes me wonder, does the bread made in a break maker taste as good as one made in the oven (?)
I used two different sources for this recipe. One was the original website where I found the recipe and the other has pictures (great for reference for anyone who’s going to attempt this).
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (note, I simply used Kosher salt)
Directions:
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. 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 and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. 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 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 and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. 
