There have been other posts dealing with pretzels and whether to use a lye bath or not. I am firmly in the lye bath camp, and I can assure you, no self-respecting German baker would even consider making pretzels without it. And, being a self-respecting German baker, from a long line of German bakers, I give you my recipe for making Laugenbrezeln, with a lye bath ("Laugenbrezeln" means "lye pretzels," so if you don't use lye, don't call them Laugenbrezeln):
1 lb., 6 oz. (5 cups) bread flour
12 oz. (1 1/2 cups) warm water
5 Tbs. of soft, unsalted butter
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. diastatic malt powder (optional)
2 tsp. instant yeast
I make my dough in a bread machine. You can make it by hand or with a stand mixer, however you prefer. If you're reading a blog here, you probably already know how to make yeast dough, so I won't give much instruction here other than to say that you should develop the gluten (knead the dough) until you have a nice, smooth, firm dough. Let rise until double, or about 1 1/2 hours. Divide into 12 equal pieces (about 3 oz. each). Preshape each piece into a 6-in. rope. Shape dough as seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4oCx-JRFgE&feature=share (don't worry that you can't understand German; just watch until you see how to shape the pretzels. This video also shows a very nifty device for dipping the pretzels in the lye bath, but I haven't been able to find one to order here!). Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
After shaping the pretzels, place them on a parchment/foil or Silpat lined baking sheet, cover with a plastic bag, and let them rise for about 30 minutes, or until puffy. Place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until they are firm and don't bend.
While the pretzels are hanging out in the freezer, make the lye bath. Weigh out 40 grams of lye crystals (you can order them from Amazon - make SURE to get food-grade lye!) into a glass bowl, then add 1000 grams (1 liter) of cold water. Stir with a wooden or stainless steel spoon until lye crystals are dissolved (this will take a few minutes).
When the pretzels are partially frozen, they are ready to dip. PLEASE wear long rubber gloves to dip the pretzels. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, dip each pretzel in the lye bath for about 30 seconds. The pretzels are slippery, so you'll need those gloves! Let excess liquid drip off, then place pretzels on a Silpat lined sheet. Cut each pretzel along its "belly" and sprinkle with pretzel salt or kosher salt. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a deep golden brown.
Pretzels are best eaten immediately, while still warm. If you can't eat them all in one day, place cooled pretzels in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw pretzels outside of the bag on a cake rack. Warm them in a 350 degree oven for 3 minutes to crisp the outside.
