Pretzel Rolls!

I always look forward to picking up pretzel rolls from the Bread Basket Bakery when I visit my Dad in Sierra Vista, AZ.  Unfortunately, they don't travel well and there is no Bread Basket in Lake Worth, Florida.  I have been threatening to learn to make these myself for some time now.  Finally, I have made a batch.  The recipe below is Alton Brown's, and I made a couple modifications.  First, I used unbleached whole wheat flour.  I like the effect, but I will probably stick with white flour for the next batch.  Second, as you can see from the photo, I did not twist my dough into pretzel shapes.  I divided the dough into 16 balls for rolls.  Next time, I will divide into 12 balls for larger rolls.  Hubby approves just the way they worked out, but IMHO he is somewhat biased. 

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt 

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan. (If you want rolls, divide into 12 to 16 balls at this point, instead of rolling out ropes.)

Place the pretzels  (or rolls) into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.