Mmmm Soft Pretzels

I am a sucker for a soft pretzel. But like so many things, I don't like to pay 20 times more for an item I can make myself for super cheap. Pretzels are one of those things. I make a bunch of them. Bake some and freeze some. That way I can have one whenever the mood strikes, which is pretty often. The best part? They are very easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one package)
1 tsp sugar
3 (sometimes 4) cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp salt (table is better. Do NOT use kosher)
1 Tbs Baking Soda
Kosher salt or sea salt for sprinkling (I don't use this)

1. In a stand mixer with the bread hook attachment, combine 1 1/2 cups water with yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy. Add 2 cups flour and the table salt. Mix well. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups flour (1/4 cup at a time) until a soft dough forms.

**The dough is ready when you touch and pull your finger away. It should pull with your finger, but not stick to it.

2. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Spray the bowl with cooking spray. Shape the dough into a ball and then return it to the bowl. Cover with a moist towel (I like flour sack towels) and put somewhere warm (80-85 degrees) until it doubles in size (~ 45 mins).

3. Preheat oven to 400. punch the dough down and divide into 12 equal portions. I find that rolling the dough into little balls helps me to determine if they are equal in size.

See the second from the top on the right side? Yeah he's a little small, and the one above him is a little big. Never knew that 'till I made them into balls. :)

4. Roll the balls out into a 24" rope

And twist into a pretzel shape. If you want pretzels sticks, don't twist them. Instead, cut them into 8" sections and move to step 5.

The bottom right one is  a double twist. The rest are single twists. Both work well, I just like the double for some reason. If you want to freeze the pretzels, this is where you do it. Place on a cookie sheet, cover them with foil, and once they are frozen move them to a zip top bag. Then when you want one pull it out, thaw and continue from step 5!

5. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup water and the baking soda together in a small bowl. Stir until the Baking soda is dissolved. Dip the pretzels in the mixture and place on a greased cookie sheet 1.5" apart. Sprinkle with the big salt (if you want).

6. Bake for 14-16 mins rotating in the oven half way through bake time. Let cool on wire rack and serve with your favorite dipping sauce or mustard!


Sorry I don't have an end result picture. They were all gobbled up way too fast for me to get a picture! LOL! I guess we're a pretzel family!