Chewy pillows with crispy edges that are glistening with brushes of melted butter and sprinkled with coarse sea salt are the perfect appetizer when paired with a honey mustard dip!
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add in the water and 2 tablespoons of melted butter to form the rough dough.
Using a dough hook, knead the dough at low speed for 5 minutes, or until a soft ball is formed. Dough should be "stretchy" at this stage. Form dough into a ball.
Place dough in a large bowl, sprayed with cooking spray, turning to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Brush a 9-inch springform pan with melted butter. Brush the outside of a small round dish with butter and place in the center of the pan.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Flatten and stretch dough into a 12x6-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 1-inch pieces using a pizza cutter.
Bring 12 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan; add baking soda. Boil dough for about 20 seconds, working in batches.
Place half of the dough pieces around the ramekin in the prepared pan; brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt. Top with next batch of dough pieces and again brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Place springform pan on prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until pretzels are dark golden brown. Loosen edges of bread with a knife before removing sides of pan. Brush one more time with melted butter and if needed, add one more dash of salt.
Honey Mustard Dip
Combine sour cream, dijon mustard, and honey until well blended. Carefully, remove hot ramekin from center of the pretzel ring. You cannot use this dish for the dip because the heat will cause the sour cream separate. Add dip to a cold dish and place in the center of the pretzel ring for serving.
Notes
Helpful Tip: Feel free to get creative with the dip. You can substitute barbecue sauce for mustard and honey, mix Ranch dressing into the sour cream, or even add garlic powder and hot sauce for a buffalo style option.