Ballpark pretzels

If you're anything like me you love ALL. THE. CARBS. I particularly love those Bavarian style pretzels that are tender, flavorful, and HUGE. It was my first time attempting pretzels at home and I have to admit I'm pretty proud of myself! 

Now these ballpark pretzels aren't exactly the same as one you might get out at a gastropub, as these were a bit denser and chewier, but they were so incredibly delicious we could not stop eating them. 

I wish I could remember what cheese sauce recipe I used, but it's been a while and I never wrote it down! I may have been experimenting with sodium citrate and some aged cheddar cheese, but it's anyone's guess at this point.  

Here's a link to the America's Test Kitchen episode where they made these pretzels. It's particularly great to watch for the technique on shaping the pretzels!

Ballpark Pretzels, from America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients 
1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)
3 TBSP vegetable oil, divided
2 TBSP packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
3 ¾ cups (20 ⅔ ounces) bread flour
Coarse kosher salt (or pretzel salt)
¼ cup baking soda

Directions

1. Prepare dough: Lightly grease large bowl. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, use a fork to combine the warm water, 2 tablespoons oil, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit until foamy, about 3 minutes. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and 4 teaspoons salt. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture and knead on low speed until dough comes together and clears sides of bowl, 4 to 6 minutes. 
3. Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter and knead by hand until smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Transfer dough to greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 60 minutes. 
5. Gently press center of dough to deflate. Transfer dough to lightly greased counter, divide into 12 equal pieces, and cover with plastic. Lightly flour 2 rimmed baking sheets. 
6. Shape pretzels: Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll into 22-inch-long rope. Shape rope into U with 2-inch-wide bottom curve and ends facing away from you. Crisscross ropes in middle of U, then fold ends toward bottom of U. Firmly press ends into bottom curve of U, 1 inch apart to form pretzel shape. 
7. Transfer pretzels to prepared sheets, knot side up, 6 pretzels per sheet. Cover pretzels loosely with plastic wrap (that you've sprayed with baking spray) and let rise at room temperature until slightly puffy, about 20 minutes. 
8. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 425 degrees.
9. Boil and bake: Dissolve baking soda in 4 cups water in Dutch oven and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Using slotted spatula, transfer 4 pretzels, knot side down, to boiling water and cook for 30 seconds, flipping halfway through cooking. Transfer pretzels to wire rack, knot side up, and repeat with remaining 8 pretzels in 2 additional batches. Let pretzels rest for 5 minutes.
10. Wipe flour from sheets and grease with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle each sheet with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Transfer pretzels to prepared sheets, knot side up, 6 pretzels per sheet. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt evenly over pretzels. 
11. Bake pretzels until mahogany brown and any yellowish color around seams has faded, 15 to 20 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. 
12. Transfer pretzels to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

TO MAKE AHEAD: The pretzels are best eaten the day they are baked but will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Freeze pretzels, wrapped well in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month. To reheat room-temperature pretzels, brush tops lightly with water, sprinkle with salt, and toast on baking sheet at 300 degrees for 5 minutes. Let frozen pretzels thaw before reheating.