Homemade Soft Pretzels

 My kids and Dustin are lovers of soft pretzels, and I am not.  Something about the salty bread, dipped in hot cheese just grosses me out.  However, after Grant begging me to make these for a really long time, and in light of the fact that we have a lot more time to bake right now (Corona Quarantine), we decided to give it a try.  This was a great recipe--easy and delicious and actually really fun for everyone to participate in.  I even enjoyed my soft pretzel (of course, I sprinkled mine with cinnamon sugar and dipped it in frosting, so it was more of a dessert, but there had to be a compromise!) 

Soft Pretzels

by: sallysbakingaddiction.com

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 packet (2 1/4 tsp.) yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

3 3/4 to 4 c. flour

coarse salt for sprinkling (I used kosher salt)

9 c. water

1/2 c. baking soda

Mix the yeast, a pinch of sugar and the warm water in your mixing bowl, cover it and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.  Add the salt, brown sugar and melted butter and stir it together.  Slowly add 3 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time.  Mix it with a wooden spoon, or the dough hook on your Kitchenaid until the dough is thick.  Continue slowly adding the last cup of flour as needed, until your dough is no longer sticky.  If you poke it with your finger and it bounces back, it is ready to knead.  Plop the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 3 minutes and then roll it into a ball.  Cover it lightly and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.  This is a good time to get your water and baking soda solution ready.  

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Divide your dough in half, then each of those halves in half again and then do that again (to make 12 equal dough balls-did that make sense?).  Roll each dough ball into a 20-22 inch rope, and then shape them into a pretzel shape by "taking the ends and drawing them together so the dough forms a circle.  Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape."  We just kind of made ours into a knot shape and some were better than others, but that is what gave them their charm.  

Bring the baking soda and water solution to a boil.  I periodically stirred this with a wire whisk throughout the process.  Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water at a time, for 20-30 seconds.  Any more time than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste, which a couple of ours did.  I would lean more toward 20 seconds.  Using a slotted spatula, take the pretzels out of the water and let the water drip off before placing them onto your baking sheet.  Sprinkle the pretzels with the salt (or cinnamon sugar, if you are like me).  Bake them for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees or until they are golden brown.  When they are done, you can serve them warm with nacho cheese, or frosting!