Pretzel Buns

I am a believer that a good burger can stand on its own. However, a good pretzel bun never hurt...
I made these babies today and they were delicious with our burgers. (My burger secret? Brown sugar and a wood burning grill.)

These take a little time, but they are worth it. Most is unattended, but give yourself about two hours.

You will need:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 T sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
4 T melted butter
2 tsp kosher salt
2 quarts water
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg, beaten
Pretzel salt for sprinkling

This works best in a stand mixer, so that is how I will explain the recipe. You can use good old fashioned elbow grease, too!

Put warm water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix quickly and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

After the yeast blooms, add the flour, butter and salt, mix until a smooth dough forms. Cover and let sit for one hour.

Remove from bowl after an hour and put on a lightly floured surface. Punch down and form into balls. There is a trick to this, pull the 'outsides' out and tuck them into the middle. Then flip the dough over and just lightly turn it to form a ball. If you cup one hand and spin with the other it should work. Place these on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (Or not, it will stick a little if you don't) Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven at 425°, boil the water, and slowly slowly SLOWLY add the baking soda.

Once the buns rise, boil each for 30 seconds on one side, flip and boil for 30 more. Remove to pan, score the tops of the buns, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until brown and toasty! (Rack in the middle of the oven is ideal!)