Ballpark Pretzels

Why this recipe works With their mahogany-brown crusts, tender insides, and salty bite, soft pretzels are the ultimate snack—and hard to come by, unless you are at a ballpark or live in an urban area. We wanted to bring these treats to the home kitchen. The challenge? Cracking that dark, distinctly flavored exterior. We knew that professional bakers treat the dough with an alkaline solution called lye, which helps a small piece of dough achieve a rich brown exterior before its center overcooks. Of course, most home cooks don’t have lye—it’s abrasive and caustic. But every home cook has worked with a more subdued alkali: baking soda. We gave the pretzels a quick dip in a boiling water and baking soda mixture. After letting the pretzels dry, we baked them and watched them turn a beautiful mahogany. We use kosher salt for our pretzels, but coarse pretzel salt may be substituted (do not use pretzel salt in the dough). Pretzels can be stored in a zipper-lock bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. Wrapped in aluminum foil before being placed in the bag, the pretzels can be frozen for up to 1 month. To reheat, place the pretzels (thawed if frozen) on a baking sheet, mist lightly with water, sprinkle with salt, and bake in a 300-degree oven for 5 minutes.

MAKES: 12 pretzels

RESTING TIME: 5 minutes

RISING TIME: 1¼ to 1¾ hours

BAKING TIME: 15 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 3 to 3½ hours, plus 15 minutes cooling time

KEY EQUIPMENT: 2 rimmed baking sheets, Dutch oven

INGREDIENTS:

• 3¾ cups (20⅔ ounces) bread flour
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1½ cups (12 ounces) water, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup baking soda

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, 4 teaspoons salt, and yeast.
2. In a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together water, 2 tablespoons oil, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Using the dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly add the water mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until a cohesive dough starts to form and there are no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and clears the sides of the bowl, about 8 minutes.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and knead it by hand to form a smooth, round ball, for about 30 seconds. Place the dough seam side down in a lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled in size, for 1 to 1½ hours.
5. Lightly flour 2 rimmed baking sheets. Press down on the dough to deflate it, then transfer the dough to a clean counter. Press and stretch the dough into a 12 by 6-inch rectangle, with the long side parallel to the counter edge. Using a pizza cutter or chef’s knife, cut the dough vertically into 12 strips, each measuring 6 by 1 inch. Cover the strips loosely with greased plastic wrap.
6. Working with one piece of dough at a time (keeping the remaining pieces covered), stretch and roll each strip into a 22-inch rope.
7. Shape each rope into a U shape with a 2-inch-wide bottom curve, and the ends facing away from you.
8. Crisscross the ropes in the middle, then fold the ends toward the bottom of the U shape, spacing them 1 inch apart. Press firmly into the bottom curve.
9. Arrange the pretzels on the prepared baking sheets, knot side up, spaced about 2 inches apart. Cover them loosely with greased plastic wrap and let them rise until puffy, for about 15 minutes.
10. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a Dutch oven, dissolve baking soda in 4 cups of water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
11. Using a slotted spatula, carefully transfer 4 pretzels, knot side down, into the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds, flipping the pretzels halfway through cooking. Transfer the pretzels, knot side up, to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining 8 pretzels in 2 batches. Let the pretzels rest for 5 minutes.
12. Wipe off any flour from the baking sheets and grease them with the remaining oil. Sprinkle each sheet with ½ teaspoon of salt. Transfer 6 pretzels, knot side up, to each prepared sheet and sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon of salt.
13. Bake the pretzels until they are a mahogany brown color and any yellowish color around the seams has faded, for 15 to 20 minutes, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Transfer the pretzels to a wire rack and let them cool for 15 minutes. Serve them warm.