Homemade Soft Pretzels with Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water and yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add the honey and mix to combine.
3. In a large bowl, add the flour and salt and whisk together. Add to the bowl of the stand mixer and use the dough hook to combine. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.
4. Lightly coat the inside of a bowl with oil and place the ball of dough inside. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for about 1 ½ hours. You want the dough to double in size.
5. After the time has passed, gently knead the dough for about 1 minute, then return to the bowl, loosely cover, and let rise for an additional 45 minutes.
6. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Add 12 cups of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the baking soda.
8. While the water is heating, divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope. Twist each piece of dough into a pretzel shape.
9. Gently add 1-2 pretzels to the boiling water for about 60 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pretzels and drain well. Place on the baking sheet. Continue until all 8 pretzels have been boiled.
10. In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Then brush the egg over each pretzel. Sprinkle each pretzel with salt.
11. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. If the pretzels appear to be burning or getting too dark, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 2-3 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and brush each pretzel with melted butter. Let cool slightly.
13. Prepare the Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. (See ingredients below)
14. Serve the pretzels warm with the dipping sauce on the side.

Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.