Soft Pretzels

Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it reaches 110 degrees F. Pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top. Let soften for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and 1 cup of the flour and stir. Cube 2 tablespoons of the butter and soften in the microwave; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 ¼ cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch the dough to deflate, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 5 equal pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with your hands to form a 20-24-inch rope. Cut each rope in half. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
In a shallow dish, dissolve the baking soda in the water. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until pretzels are golden-brown, 10 minutes. Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and spread over the surface of each pretzel using a basting brush. Serve with Jalapeño Cheese Dip from pipandebby.com.