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1
Place the milk in a medium bowl and stir in the yeast to dissolve it well.
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2
Add the malt syrup and 1 cup of the flour and stir until you have a smooth batter.
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3
Sprinkle on the salt, add the butter, and stir well to incorporate.
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4
Add 1 1/4 cups more flour and stir and turn the dough to incorporate it.
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5
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, incorporating more flour as necessary.
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6
Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until smooth, softened, about doubled in volume.
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7
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and place a baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles, if you have them, (or a baking sheet) on it.
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8
Preheat the oven to 450F.
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9
Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface.
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10
Cut it into 4 equal pieces and cut each piece in half.
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11
Place a parchment paper-lined baking sheet next to your work surface.
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12
Work with 2 pieces of dough at a time, keeping the remaining pieces covered with a cotton cloth.
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13
Roll each piece of dough out under your palms to a long skinny rope, 24 to 30 inches long, slightly fatter in the middle and very thin at the ends.
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14
Press down lightly and push outward toward the ends with both hands as you roll, encouraging the dough to lengthen and stretch.
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15
You will find the dough very elastic, and that it springs back and shortens after you let it go, so switch back and forth between the two pieces.
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16
This will give the gluten strands in the dough an opportunity to relax a little.
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17
Once you have a long rope, pick up one end with each hand and twist one around the other once or twice about 2 inches from the ends, then lay the dough down in a curve on the baking sheet and lay the ends onto the fatter center of the curve to make the classic pretzel shape.
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18
Cover lightly while you shape the remaining pretzels.
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19
Let the pretzels rise for about 10 minutes.
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20
Meanwhile, heat 1 cup water in a large saucepan until almost boiling.
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21
Add the baking soda and stir well to dissolve.
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22
Keep the water simmering until just before ready to use.
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23
Have a flour-dusted peel (or the back of a baking sheet) near your work surface, and a razor blade or sharp knife for slashing the dough.
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24
Lift up one pretzel with a wide spatula and place it briefly in the hot soda-water bath, leaving it on the spatula.
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25
Remove it after 20 seconds and let the water drain off the spatula, then brush the pretzel top with the egg wash and place the pretzel on the peel.
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26
Make a deep Ito 2-inch slash in the top of the fattest part of the pretzel, then immediately slide it off the peel (or sheet) onto the hot stone or tiles (or baking sheet).
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27
Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
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28
(If your stone or oven is small, you may have to bake them 4 at a time.)
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29
Bake the pretzels for 10 to 12 minutes, until a deep golden brown on top.
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30
Place on a rack to cool.
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31
Serve warm or at room temperature.
