Let's talk about sandwich bread

   My husband is a sandwich eating machine.  He keeps them fairly simple (filled with meat mostly) and the bread is usually toasted.  While normal pre-sliced, grocery bought bread works and is not that bad; there are much better choices out there.
 
   One day while looking for pretzle recipes (the recipe for those will come soon!) I came across something possibly divine.  Pretzel Rolls.  Salty, chewy and a perfect match for a giant sandwich.  Granted it's not an instantly gratifying recipe.  Making bread takes TIME people.  So here we go folks.  Tie on that apron and be prepared to get your hands dirty....er...floury?

1 1/3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons warm milk
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 cups All Purpose flour

Before we start...If you don't have a standing mixer then you will be doing a TON of kneeding.  A bread machine would also work if you don't have a mixer.

In mixer bowl with dough hook put in 1/3 cup of the warm water (WARM not HOT) and the yeast and leave it until it becomes foamy looking.  After the yeast/water foams up nicely (about 3-5 min) add in the remaining water, the milk, the sugar, and the butter and mix until combined. Here is where you'll add the mixture to your bread maker if you're going that route.

Slowly begin adding the flour.  Please do not crank up your mixer and cover yourself in flour.  As hilarious as it looks to others it's not what we're going for here. =)  Mix until the dough is formed into a ball form.  Then use your mixer to kneed it for about 2 min on med-low, if you used the bread machine take out your dough when it forms a ball and hand kneed for 2 min.  Roll dough into a large ball and cover with a damp towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

After the rest, kneed dough another min by hand and then cut into desired pieces.  Roll pieces into ball form and place on a floured surface and cover again with a damp towel.  Let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.  While the rolls are resting bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.  When it's at a rolling boil slowly add 1/2 cup of baking soda.  This is the baking soda bath that will give your rolls a nice chewy outer texture.  Grease a baking sheet and turn the oven on 425.

(baking soda bath)

After the rolls are done resting take one at a time and drop into the soda bath for 30 seconds (it should still be boiling-don't turn the water down)  turning them once.  Hold over pot with a slotted spoon to drain and place on greased sheet.  Do the same with the other remaining rolls.  Sprinkling with sea salt afterwards.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until brown or until bottom of roll sounds hollow when tapped.  Take out, cool, slice and ENJOY!

(Don't forget ONLY 30 seconds!)

Look at that! Aren't they pretty!