Philadelphia-style Pretzels

These old-fashioned "Philadelphia-style" pretzels are almost like bagels -- smooth and shiny on the outside, chewy within. This is a great recipe for baking with kids.

1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups room-temperature water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 cups 100% White Whole Wheat Flour *
2 teaspoons non-diastatic malt powder or sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

* Hard white spring wheat, rather than traditional red wheat, makes lighter-colored, milder-tasting baked goods.

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.) 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 till doubled.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a log, and shape the logs into pretzels. 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. (The baking soda bath changes the PH of the dough, allowing it to develop the dark brown exterior without burning it. If you skip this step, the pretzels would be very light and unevenly browned.) Transfer the boiled pretzels to a lightly greased baking sheet.

When all the pretzels have been boiled, paint them with an egg glaze (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water) and sprinkle with salt, then bake in a preheated 450°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the pretzels are well-browned. Yield: 16 soft, chewy pretzels.