soft pretzels

9.5/10- these were literally so good, best right out of the oven
difficulty: 6/10

2 cups of water between 110° and 115° 
1.5 tbsp brown sugar (i used light)
2.25 tsp yeast
1.5 tsp sea salt
3 oz melted coconut oil + extra for brushing
5.25 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil (or any oil)
.5 c baking soda
slightly under 10 c water

Pre-heat the oven to 450. whisk water and brown sugar. sprinkle on the yeast, whisk together and let it sit for 6 minutes or until it forms a foamy raft on top (i accidentally left for like 10 and it didn’t affect anything). add salt and coconut oil. put dough attachment of stand mixer. add flour 1 cat a time until combined and knead the dough on low to medium speed for 5 minutes. while that’s going, oil a large bowl. place the dough in the oiled bowl and cover. place in a cold oven for about an hour (i did a little over). it should double in size. bring baking soda and 1 gallon of water to a boil in a large pot. roll out dough into long rope and cross over to make pretzel shape. boil each pretzel about 30 seconds and place on silicon (or parchment) lined baking sheet. brush w coconut oil and add salt /sesame seeds/ etc if desired. bake for about 15 mins. 

adaption of @chefbillyparisi recipe