Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Joey and I made these, it was a fun, messy, edible activity...Great for Strollerfriends when you can not get outdoors.

2 packages of active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup softened butter
1 egg
4 cups whole wheat flour
3.5 cups flour
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp water

in a large bowl, dissolve yeast into warm water. Add sugar, egg, salt & butter. stir in wheat flour, mix until smooth. Add enough white flour to make a stiff dough. cover bowl with foil and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

When ready to use the dough, punch dough down and divide in half. On a well floured surface, cut each half into 16 equal pieces. roll each piece into a 20 inch rope and shape into a pretzel shape. Place on a well greased baking sheet (i used parchment paper)

In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and water and brush over top of pretzels, sprinkle with salt if desired. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 25 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

should yield 32 pretzels.