Almost-Famous Soft Pretzels (Auntie Anne'S Copy Cat)

1. 1

   Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes.

2. 2

   Stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons of the butter and soften; stir into mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups of flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough.

3. 3

   Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 1 hour.

4. 4

   Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly flour surface. (If dough seems tight, cover and let rise until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece in the palms of your hands into a 30 inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

5. 5

   Dissolve the baking soda in the water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with coarse salt.

6. 6

   Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes.

7. 7

   Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter in a shallow dish. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat; place on a wire rack to let excess butter to drip off. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce or cream cheese.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.