Soft Pretzels with Whole Wheat

After shopping at a mall during the President's Day's long weekend, there were requests to make soft pretzels at home today thanks to the aroma that filled the whole mall by three or more pretzel stalls. These pretzels are so easy to make that I bet you'll never want to pay a hefty price at the mall to get one again.
And by making them at home, you can turn them into a healthier version by substituting regular flour with some whole wheat flour. They can be made salty or sweet, just to satisfy every palate!

Makes 6 large or 10 small pretzels

Dough Ingredients:
120g/1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
240g/2 cups whole wheat flour
6g/2 tsp instant yeast
230g/1 cup lukewarm water
2 tbsp non-diastatic malt powder or 1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil or unsalted butter

Dipping solution:
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp non-diastatic malt powder or 2 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking soda

Topping options/suggestions:
Coarse sea salt
Cinnamon sugar
Garlic butter/spread

1)  Mix all the dough ingredients together and knead, either by hand or mixer, until smooth. It should be lightly sticky. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes (1 hour in winter).
2)  Preheat the oven to 400 F.
3)  Turn the dough out and fold it a few times to slightly deflate it.
4)  Divide the dough into 6 pieces for large pretzels or 10 pieces for smaller ones.
4)  Rest for 10 minutes and roll it out to a long 24 inch rope. If the dough resists rolling, let it rest more. Shape the rope into a pretzel.

6)  Mix the dipping solution in a shallow bowl.
7)  Dip the pretzels in the dipping solution and put on a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat. Optional: sprinkle some sea salt on top or put on some garlic spread.

8)  Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Optional: sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.

Notes:
1)  For a shinier skin, brush them with melted butter after coming out of the oven.
2)  For a more chewier skin, make more dipping solution and bring it to a boil. Dip the pretzels in and boil for 10 seconds before baking.

Recipe modified from: King Arthur