These old-fashioned "Philadelphia-style" pretzels are almost like bagels — smooth and shiny on the outside, chewy within.
Mix the sugar, water and yeast; stir to dissolve. (If you're using instant yeast, skip this step, simply combining all of the ingredients at once.) Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the white wheat flour, malt, salt, and enough unbleached flour to make a soft (but not sticky) dough.
Knead well, place in a bowl, and let rise until puffy, about 60 minutes.
Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a log, and shape the logs into pretzels. (See "tips," below.)
Preheat the oven to 450°. Lightly grease a baking sheet; or line the sheet with parchment and grease the parchment.
In a large pot, boil together 6 cups of water and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Put 4 pretzels at a time into the boiling water, and cook for 1 minute. Transfer boiled pretzels to the prepared baking sheet.
Sprinkle the pretzels with salt, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the pretzels are well-browned.
Store, well-wrapped, for up to 3 days on the counter, and freeze for up to a month.
Interested in baking these pretzels with lye instead of baking soda? While wearing eye protection and rubber or latex gloves, mix 20g food-grade lye into a non-reactive bowl holding 500g cold water and stir to dissolve. Transfer your shaped pretzel to the bath and let soak for 10 to 15 seconds. Place the pretzel on a stainless steel rack over parchment to catch any excess solution. After a few minutes, transfer the dipped pretzel to a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet. The dough can then be scored, salted, and baked. To dispose of the diluted lye solution, pour it directly down the drain, then follow with a few seconds of cold water from the sink faucet. For a guide to using lye in your baking, see our blog post, A baker’s tips for safely working with lye.
