Soft Pretzel Buns

These are really great for any sandwich.  I found the original recipe at Recipes For My Boys.  

You could make these in the shape of burger buns, brat/hotdog buns or even breadsticks for with soup or a saucy pasta dish.  

I made the process even easier by of course making the dough in my breadmaker!  If you don't have a breadmaker you can follow the manual directions at Recipes For My Boys.  We enjoyed these with sloppy joes; delish!

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups milk

-1/4 cup sugar

-4 to 4 1/2 cups flour {you could use half white and half wheat if you like}

-2 tbsp yeast

-1 1/2 tsp salt

-8 cups water

-1/2 cup baking soda

-coarse sea salt or other finishing salt

Process:

1. Warm milk either in the microwave or on the stove-top until it feels warm to touch, but not hot {between 110 and 115 degrees}.  Pour warmed milk into breadmaker pan.

2. Add sugar, salt and 4 cups flour.  Top with yeast.

3. Start breadmaker on the dough setting; checking periodically within the first 30 minutes and add more flour if the dough is sticking to the sides of the pan.  Allow cycle to run through.

4. Turn dough out onto a floured or oiled surface; shape into a rectangle and cut into 10-12 peices, depending on the size you'd like.

5. Shape each piece into the shape of bun you'd like.  {I did 10 burger buns.}

6. Place buns on a lined or greased baking sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
8. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.  {The larger, the better since the baking soda can make the water boil up even more.}

9. Carefully, add the baking soda and stir slightly to dissolve.

10. Place one or two buns in the boiling mixture; allow to boil for about 15 seconds.

11. Flip the bun and boil on this side for another 15 seconds.  Remove with a large slotted spoon.

12. Drain well and place back on the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle immediately with coarse salt  to ensure that the salt sticks.  

I used Maldon salt which is a finishing salt that is coarse and flaky.

13. Repeat with all other rolls.

 14. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until browned and hollow sounding when tapped.

 Halfway through baking...

 Finished buns...

 Cool for at least 10 minutes and enjoy!