INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

"This is truly a gourmet pretzel -- a step beyond traditional recipes
from the Old Country. Excellent with beer or cider, but absolutely
irresistible spread with cold sour cream. 350~F. 15 to 25 minutes In  a
small bowl, combine the yeast with 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the
warm water. Set aside in a warm place until the yeast starts to foam,
about 5 to 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, add the butter to the
buttermilk and bring to a boil. Stir to melt the butter completely if
necessary. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the cold water, stir,
and allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl or in the
food processor, combine the flour and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture
and the cooled buttermilk mixture and mix well. Knead well by hand on
a lightly floured surface or by pulsing about 15 to 20 times in the
food processor, until the dough is smooth and springy to the touch.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn over to coat all
sides. Cover with a damp towel and set the dough in a warm place  until
it has doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Punch the dough  down
and knead a few strokes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or wax  paper
and place it in the refrigerator until well chilled,  approximately 1
hour. With a knife, cut the dough into 25 equal  pieces. Using your
hands, roll each piece into a cylinder 10 to 12  inches long. (If you
prefer larger, soft pretzels, cut the dough into  only 15 pieces and
roll into cylinders that are 14 to 16 inches  long.) You will have a
more even-looking cylinder if you place the  dough on a firm surface
and roll your hands across the top, moving  from the center outward.
Shape each cylinder into a pretzel by  forming a loop in the center,
twisting the ends and attaching them to  the bottom of the loop. Bring
the 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add  the baking soda and the remaining
2 Tablespoons sugar to the water.  Drop the pretzels into the water one
at a time and, with a slotted  spoon, remove each one as it pops back
up to the surface in about 2  to 3 seconds. Place the pretzels on a
towel right side up to drain  for a few minutes. Then place them on a
baking sheet which has been  lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Preheat
the oven to 350~F. Brush the  tops with the egg and sprinkle lightly
and evenly with coarse salt.  Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on
size, until well browned.  Cool on a rack. Yield: 15 large or 25 small
pretzels.  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at
www.synapse.com/~gemini

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
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Calories: 4317
Calories From Fat: 402
Total Fat: 46.1g
Cholesterol: 16.5mg
Sodium: 19784.5mg
Potassium: 1628.4mg
Carbohydrates: 882.8g
Fiber: 31.3g
Sugar: 1.8g
Protein: 102.5g